Now What?
by EgilMaster365
Summary: Two Blue Macaws are falling from the sky to their demise. If they can save themselves, where will they go from there? How will their relationship grow? Can they overcome their greatest obstacle yet? In other words, now what?
1. Chapter 1: A New Beginning

**Love**. This one word is the fundamental basis for our lives. Four simple letters form one of the most powerful words in our vocabulary. But what is it exactly? What make it so strong? Some would argue that it is nothing more than an evolutionary tool developed to ensure the success of a species. Others insist that it is a needless addition to our psychological makeup, only existing because of societal standards. However, there is yet one more explanation to what **love** is. But instead of presenting the argument like with the previous two, I will let you arrive at the answer. I will impart to you the meaning through a story that rides on the heels a great narrative.

I now leave you with one question to reflect upon: **What is love?**

* * *

It was the morning of Febuary 14th in Rio de Janeiro. The sun had just began its ascent over the horizon, providing life giving light for the earth. The ocean gleamed from the morning rays, which gave a feeling of peace to the inhabitants. However, not everyone was having such a peaceful morning. Off in the distance were two blue colored dots falling, in addition to a disheveled airplane hurtling towards the water. The two blue specks were almost indistinguishable from the beautiful morning backdrop. The first of the two was quite a distance away from the second, and was falling towards the ocean at a brisk rate. The second dot, somewhat above the first, was closing the gap between them as it fell at a much faster rate than the first. If one were to magnify this scene they would see that the two dots were more than just blue colored specks, but instead birds. But these are more than just your average avifauna. They are supposedly the last two Blue Macaws in existence. While an odd couple in regards to their personality, between the two of them, they have experienced more facets of life than any of us could ever hope to. They include, but are not limited to, happiness, sadness, pain, comfort, loss, gain, hate, and most recently: **love**. The very reason why there are two birds falling instead of one at this moment, is because of **love**. The next logical question would be, "Why aren't the birds flying?" Well, the first macaw had her wing crushed by a precarious metal cage, while the second was so domesticated he couldn't fly.

After a brief moment, the second macaw collided with the first and sent them spinning while falling. This male macaw's name was Blu. In the past 48 hours, he was torn from his home of 15 years, was brought into a strange country where the seasons are reversed, was forced into an synthetic jungle in hopes to "save his species" only to be attacked by the last of his kind, was smuggled, tripped, hyperventilated, got attacked by monkeys, almost got cut in half by a circular saw, was smuggled a second time, fell off a truck, fell off a cliff, fell off a hang glider, and most recently jumped off a plane. Notice how he "jumped" instead of "fell" off the plane. While he definitely is falling, he had consciously made the decision to jump. Possibly for the first time in his life. Why? Because, even though he could not fly, Blu wanted to be with the one he loved until the end. His love was completely allocated to Jewel, a female blue macaw. As the force of Blu's collision with Jewel slowly wore off and the disorienting spinning slowed, Jewel, out of complete disbelief that Blu would actually seal his fate by jumping screamed at him. "Blu you're crazy! What are you doing?!" So much went through Blu's mind in the second between Jewel's question and his response. If it wasn't for him, they both wouldn't be in this situation right now. He put himself, and more importantly, Jewel in danger. However, none of that matters anymore. While you can't change the past, you can try to amend the present in hope for a better future. Blu then looked more intently into Jewel's beautiful eyes and said something that would change his life forever.

"I'm not gonna let you go!" Blu told Jewel in a caring tone. "We're chained to each other birds, remeber?!"

For the majority of their time together, Blu was chained together with Jewel. At first it was an inconvenience, but towards the end neither of them really wanted to be separated from one another. While it's true that they no longer were physically connected, they still were "chained to each other". The chain that was once around their talons now encompassed their hearts, forever bonding them together with **love**.

Jewel, who was shocked by Blu's actions (this was the same Blu who was practically scared by his own shadow and ate pancakes for breakfast) suddenly realized the depth of his affection and responded by locking her beak into his in a kiss. Now instead Blu was shocked, and his eyes sprung open due to this unexpected event. Blu soon relaxed and closed his eyes. After Jewel retracted, Blu was left in complete euphoria.

Suddenly Blu felt something he had never experienced in his life before. His heart began beating with more radiance than ever before. Instinctually Blu's wings spread open and, right before the two macaws met the ocean and their certain demise, he grabbed Jewel in his talons and redirected their velocity from vertical to horizontal. In one powerful surge Blu propelled Jewel and himself upwards in order to fly at a more comfortable altitude.

Jewel was in complete incredulity and yelled out to Blu. "Blu! You're flying!"

"Your right! I'm not an ostrich! I'm not an ostrich!" Blu, somewhat in disbelief, excitedly responded.

* * *

Meanwhile, at an old airport in Rio, three people were resting on a discarded plane wing. The first was Tulio, a native citizen of Rio and a doctor of ornithology. He was comforting Linda, a fair skinned woman from Moose lake Minnesota. She also happened to be Blu's owner/companion, and was distraught that she had lost her best friend to smugglers. Finally, a young boy named Fernando was also resting on the wing. He had befriended to two adults, despite the fact that he was the one who originally smuggled Blu and Jewel. Out of nowhere, Fernando noticed two Blue colored dots on the horizon whom, as he focused, he immediately recognized to be none other than Blu and Jewel.

"Linda!" Fernando Exclaimed. Linda then turned her attention to where Fernando was looking and recognized someone who she had given up hope to ever see again.

"Blu?! It's Blu, Tulio! It's Blu! And he's flying! My Blu is flying!" Linda yelled enthusiastically.

Up until this point, Blu thought he was grasping at straws by looking at the airport in an attempt to find Linda and Tulio. He already had a near collision with a cable car while flying over the city of Rio, and was beginning to lose confidence. However, hearing Linda's voice again was enough to calm his nerves for the brief interim. Blu landed on the tarmac and gently placed Jewel on her side. Tulio, who was dumbfounded when he first saw Blu coming back down, now had his act together and was curious as to why Blu was carrying Jewel. Upon further inspection he noticed that Jewel's wing appeared damaged.

"Here, let me see." Tulio caringly offered. Jewel immediately shrunk back, afraid due to her rough past with human interaction. She looked up to Blu, who then gave her a signal that it was ok. Tulio then gently picked up Jewel in his hands while Blu flew up onto his shoulder.

"Well, her wing is definitely broken. We need to take her back to the aviary soon or else Jewel's bones may harden." Tulio said with some urgency. Jewel was starting to get worried as thoughts shot through her mind. _"What if I can't fly again? What if I can't ever be free in the jungle again? What if something goes wrong and…"_ Her thoughts were interrupted by a gentle pressure on her shoulder. She looked up to see Blu, who had walked down to her, and rested his wing on her good shoulder in order to comfort her. "It's ok Jewel. Everything is going to be fine." Blu said with a warm smile.

Blu and Jewel turned their attention towards Linda when they noticed that Tulio had walked over to her. "Um, Linda? I don't think we can use the float." Tulio interjected as he noticed that Linda was starting to climb inside.

"What do you mean we can't use the float?" Linda inquired a little worried.

"There's no way we could get this monster through the streets, it just can't be done." Tulio explained.

"So how do expect us to get there then?" Linda retorted.

Tulio was about to respond when he was cut off by Fernando. "Hey guys!? Do you think this will work?" Fernando walked up with an old silver colored bike.

"Hey kid? Where did you get that?" Tulio was puzzled that Fernando somehow had conveniently come across a bike. "Tulio, never mind that. We need to get Jewel out of here, now!" Linda interrupted.

Tulio's eyes sprung open as he looked down at his hands. Jewel seemed to be in a great deal of pain, while Blu was doing the best he could to comfort her. They both looked up at him with worried eyes. Tulio then redirected his attention to Linda and Fernando.

"Come on, lets go."

* * *

Back at the aviary, the events of the smuggling were now a seemingly distant memory as the employees were doing their best to control the discordant situation without Tulio's guidance. "Ahhhh! Get him off me!" One employee screamed as he ran around the room with a scarlet macaw on his head. The rest were doing their best to cope with the current state. Out of nowhere the main entrance door abruptly burst open. Standing at the entrance were two street performers and a young boy. The commotion inside the room stopped forthwith as all of the employees and birds just stared at the three out of place people. One of the employees squinted his eyes and, after recognizing who the mysterious people were, shouted out "Tulio!" Tulio then proceed into the operating room with a serious and determined face. He called for two of his "skilled" aides to come to his side. "Mark, Wendy, come with me." The two aides followed Tulio as his blue colored boots squeaked when they made contact with the floor.

Once inside the operating room, Tulio gently placed Blu and Jewel on the metal operating table in the center of the room. The assistants immediately got to work and gave Jewel a sedative, to which she was unaware. "I'm sorry Blu, but you can't be in here while we operate. There's not enough space, and I can't risk anything happening to you or Jewel with all of this dangerous equipment around." Blu nodded and looked down at Jewel with glossy eyes.

"I'll be waiting for you when this is over, Jewel." He said calmly.

Then Jewel leaned up and pulled Blu down into a kiss. Hopefully this wouldn't be their last.

After they parted, Linda walked up and extended her arm for Blu to perch himself. Blu saw this out of his peripheral, and backed up onto her wrist without losing eye contact with Jewel. Linda looked up at Tulio. "Be careful." Tulio nodded in reply. Linda turned around and started walking towards the exit. Blu climbed up onto Linda's shoulder while still maintaining eye contact with Jewel, and watched her as the doors to the operating room closed. Linda and Blu returned to the room they were in earlier. The assistants had finally managed to recover from the bird apocalypse, and everything was now silent. Linda sat down on a chair. She looked to her right, and noticed that Fernando was sleeping peacefully. Linda smiled a little. She looked over to Blu who was on her shoulder. Blu was staring off into the distance with a blank expression. Thoughts swirled around inside Blu's head like a tempest. Eventually it became too much for him to handle and his legs grew weak. Linda managed to catch him in her hands as he fell off her shoulder. As the world around Blu went black, he quietly whispered one word to himself before he lost all consciousness due to fear and anxiety.

_"Jewel"_

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my story, and t**hank you for your support. ** Please review if you can. **Future chapters may be more dialogue based. **This story will lay the groundwork for possible sequels, so I wanted to be descriptive. Have fun and keep writing!**


	2. Chapter 2: A Happy Reunion

**Before I start, I would like to thank everyone who has read and reviewed my story. I was absolutely amazed at the response I received from you guys. So thanks for the support! Ok, let's continue:**

The world was slowly coming back to Blu. As the light managed to enter his pupils, recent events flooded through his mind. Blu quickly studied his surroundings. He was inside a concave section of a synthetic tree, in a manmade jungle. Then Blu remembered.

"_Wait, this is the awesome cage I was in when I first met J-"_ Blu's thoughts quickly found a new subject.

"Jewel. Oh no, I passed out. I need to find her before"

"Before what?" A female voice interjected.

Blu's eye sprung wide open as he saw the silhouette of the most beautiful bird in the world in the tree entrance.

"Jewel!" Blu began running towards the hole with his wings stretched out in front of him.

"Oh, Blu." Jewel giggled as she watched Blu clumsily jog towards her.

"Oh, Blu! Look out!" Jewel's warning came too late as Blu tripped on a notch in the tree. His head landed right at Jewel's talons.

She looked down at her love and smiled.

"Jewel! I w-was so worried! Is everything ok?" Blu explained while looking up at Jewel.

"Don't worry Blu, I'm fine." Jewel replied as she helped Blu stand up onto his talons.

"Are you sure? I mean, sometimes pain can be suppressed if you don't think about it a-and if that's the case then we really-"

"Sh-sh-sh. Blu, I'm fine. Stop worrying so much." Jewel interrupted as she placed a wingtip on Blu's beak.

"Now I want you to relax, or else I'll have to beat it into you. Ok?" Jewel said sternly.

"Um, I'm not sure how that's supposed to-" Blu trailed off as he noticed Jewel's death stare. Remembering what she was like when mad, he didn't want to upset Jewel.

"So, um, not that I'm worried or anything, but, um, w-what happened?" Blu then inquired.

"Well, after you left I started feeling really sleepy. After that, I can't really remember. When I woke up I was in this tree hollow, and you were sleeping in the corner. Oh, and I have this bandage on my wing." Jewel lifted her wing up, allowing both Blu and herself to examine it.

"Other than that, I think we're pretty much on the same page." Jewel concluded. Blu then started to smile while looking into Jewel's beautiful eyes.

"I'm just glad you're safe. I couldn't imagine life without you Jewel." Blu paused and looked down at his talons.

"I-I was so scared that something bad would happen to you." Blu said started tearing up.

"Oh, Blu. Don't be upset. We're together now, and that's all that matters." Jewel said softly while placing her good wing around Blu.

"Your right Jewel. *sniff* we are together now. And I'll never let you go again." Blu said as he rested his head on Jewel's.

There was a moment of silence until Blu's eye shot open.

"W-wait, we're together now?" Blu queried nervously.

"Of course we are Blu." Jewel chuckled.

"There's no one in the entire world I would rather be with." She cooed as she nuzzled her head into Blu's chest feathers, enjoying the warmth.

"Heh, o-ok." Blu started to relax, and held Jewel in his wings. They savored each other's presence, and soon drifted off too sleep.

* * *

It was now late evening in city of Rio de Janeiro. The sun was setting on the horizon, signaling the end of another day. In a certain area of the bustling city was a fruit market. Nestled away in a corner behind some crates was a popular hangout for birds. Well, there _Used _to be one. A recent monkey attack left the once trendy club in ruins. Perched on a nearby crate were two male birds that were like brothers. No one ever saw one without the other. The two brother-buddies were none other than the famous samba duo, Nico and Pedro. Pedro was a tubby Red-crested Cardinal, while Nico was a slim line Yellow Canary. Nico was lightly sobbing while holding his favorite bottle cap, which he mainly used as a cap and occasionally as a tambourine, close to his chest.

"I just can't believe that they're gone." Pedro exhaled in dissatisfaction.

"Me n-neither. Hold me Pedro!" Nico wailed as he extended his black tipped wings out towards his more rotund counterpart.

"There there buddy. It's going…to…be…o-k waaaaaaa!" Pedro bawled in a failed attempt to comfort his friend. Pedro then hugged Nico, almost crushing the little guy with his bird sized "gorilla strength".

"Ugh. Uh, Pedro? Pedro? PEDRO!" Nico yelled as he felt his ribs starting to bend a little too far.

"Wh-what? Can't you see I'm cryin' here man?" Pedro asked, a little upset that Nico interrupted his sobbing.

"You're…kinda…crushing…me!" Nico managed to choke out.

Pedro then released his grip on the Yellow Canary, allowing him to plop onto the crate.

"Oh, sorry. I guess I kinda got carried away there." Pedro said as he rubbed the back of his neck with his wing.

"It's cool man. Just next time, lay off the umph. K?" Nico requested, wiping a tear away.

"Ok buddy, whatever you say. But what do we do now? No club, no home, no…" The Red-crested Cardinal couldn't finish his sentence due to his sobbing. Nico then added to his friend's crying with his own tears. The two stood there, mourning for a few moments until a sudden sound shot though their eardrums.

"Hey amigos!" A familiar voice called out from the darkening sky. The two birds looked up and immediately recognized it to be none other than Rafael, the king of carnival, a Toco Toucan. He had a chirpy attitude with an excited face. Rafael then swooped down towards the crate where the two samba masters were perched, before extending his talons and sliding over to them with his excess momentum.

"What makes you so happy?" Pedro said slightly vexed.

"They're alive!" Rafael responded ecstatically.

**That was a nice and tender moment between Blu and Jewel. Also, it looks like Rafael has some important news. **_**Chapter 3: The three amigos**_**, will be here soon. Sorry for the slight delay. There were circumstances beyond my control that slowed down progress. I know you are excited to see this story continue. Trust me I'm just as excited to publish. I really want to have the next chapter published in a shorter time frame, and hopefully have release dates for upcoming chapters so you know when to expect them. Once again, I really appreciate your reviews. They help me out a lot! See you next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Three Amigos

**Hello readers! I'm back with another chapter for you. I'm also going to start responding to some guest reviews on here, as I can't normally reply to them and don't want to clutter up the review section with a bunch of replies.**

**Fanfiction guy: Wow, I really appreciate the time you took to write down all of your ideas for the story. I will definitely refer to this later and try to incorporate some ideas. As for the last one, I'm afraid I can't do that as all my stories will be exempt from inappropriate content/lemons. Glad you are enjoying the story, and hope you keep reading man!**

"Please tell me you're telling me what I think you're telling me Rafi." Pedro said starting to get excited.

"I don't buy it. So somehow a flightless bird managed to escape from that crazy cockatoo? Rafi buddy, I'm sorry but it's just time to let go." Nico blatantly replied.

"No, seriously Amigos! I know where they are! One bird said he saw two Blue macaws being carried into the local aviary." Rafael defended.

Nico eyes started to dilate as he suddenly became very nervous.

"So you're taking some random bird's advice? Rafi, remember what happened last time? Anyway, how do we know that he didn't just see, like a Hyacinth macaw?" Nico countered.

"I'm sorry, but I just don't want to get my hopes up." He continued.

"Listen guys, I know this is hard to believe, but I have a really strong feeling that they are in that aviary! Now are you going to help your friends, or do I have to go alone?" Rafael asked, now somewhat irritated.

"I'm sorry, but I will not risk my tail feathers getting into the hands of another crazy doctor! If you were sane, you would do the same." Nico shouted as he turned around to fly away.

"Come on Pedro, let's get away from this maniac." Nico commanded. But to his surprise, Pedro didn't obey.

"Pedro?" The yellow canary turned around to see that Pedro was standing next to Rafael.

"Come on buddy, we need to help our friends. I think your emotions are getting the better of you. We can help you get over your fear Nico. Me and Rafi will be there the whole time." Pedro asked softly.

"S-so you're leaving me too? Is that it? After all we've been through? Fine! I don't need you! Have fun being trapped and experimented on every day! Have fun watching your family being taken away! You-you just don't understand." Nico sobbed, and flew away into the sky.

"Nico! Wait!" Pedro shouted as he extended his wing towards the canary who was disappearing into the sky.

"Nico…" Pedro said to himself.

"Come on amigo. We have to rescue our friends. I think Nico needs some time to himself anyway." Rafael insisted.

"Ok, let's go." Pedro replied, saddened that his best buddy had abandoned them.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the manmade jungle, Blu and Jewel were snuggled together in a tree hollow. Blu was sleeping with a grin on his beak. He finally had everything he never knew he needed. When Jewel came into his life, it was as if an emptiness was filled. However, Jewel wasn't having an equally enjoyable sleep. She squirmed around, tossing slightly, and mumbled to herself.

"Fire…Loggers….Dad"

**Jewel's Dream**

Jewel is flying through a dense forest that was set on fire, however she is much younger in her dream relative to real life. The entire surrounding area is covered in a thick smoke. Jewel panics as she desperately searches for someone to help.

"Hello!? *Cough* Is-Is anyone there!? *Cough* Help me!" She screamed.

Running out of oxygen, Jewel fell out of the sky and landed on the Jungle floor with a sickening thud.

As she was fighting to keep the world from fading into darkness, a mysterious figure suddenly appeared and picked up Jewel with his talons.

"D-daddy?" Jewel inquired as she was being carried out of the burning forest. The mysterious bird remained silent until they were in a secluded area, away from the fire, smoke, and chaos.

As her vision cleared, and she wiped away a tear, Jewel was shocked by whom she recognized the mysterious figure to be. The Blue Macaw was caringly looking down at her.

"Blu!?"

**Real World**

Jewel sprung up from her sleep as if someone had just unexpectedly pricked her with a needle. She quickly looked over to where she thought Blu would be, but no one was there.

"Jewel? Are you awake?" A voice came from the hollow entrance.

Jewel immediately looked up and saw it was Blu, looking out at the manmade jungle. She got up and walked over to her sweetheart and looked at him with tearing eyes. As soon as Blu realized that Jewel was upset about something, he immediately grew concerned.

"Jewel, are you ok? What's the matter? Does you wing hurt? I knew it. Let's go get Tulio, maybe he ca-"

"Blu, it *sniff* it's not my wing. I just had a bad dream, that's all." Jewel interjected.

"Oh, well what's wrong? You can tell me, if it'll make you feel better." Blu offered.

"No, really Blu, it's nothing."

"Are you sure? I'm sorry Jewel, but I don't want to see you like this. Really, there has to be something I can do." Blu said comfortingly as he held Jewel in his wings.

Jewel thought for a moment.

"_Maybe I should tell Blu my dream. What is a relationship if there isn't any trust? I think I'll feel better if I get it off my chest anyway."_

"Ok Blu, do you really want to hear my dream?" When Blu noticed this sudden change in attitude, he couldn't help but feel glad that Jewel was actually opening up to him.

"Yes, I'm sure. There's no one else I would rather listen to." Blu responded.

"Ok, well here goes…"

* * *

Outside the aviary, two birds sat on a branch overlooking the aviary where Blu and Jewel were "trapped" while planning to "rescue" their two amigos. One was Rafael, while the other was a Red Crested Cardinal in a black ninja suit with only his eyes showing. The cardinal bounced around next to Rafael doing various air punches and kicks.

"Ok Agent R, the plan is to terminate the security system, evade detection, liberate the subjects, and get our tail feathers outta there! Copy?"

"Seriously Pedro?" Rafael asked, a little annoyed.

"Hey, that's Agent P to you!" Pedro retorted.

"Do you even hear yourself? ¡Ay, caramba, let's just find a way into that place."

"Hmph, funny. Usually birds want to break OUT, not break into the aviary. But to each their own I guess." A dark figure said as he leaned against a tree.

"Um, Olá amigo. By any chance do you know how to break our friends out?" Rafael asked.

"Oh, so there is a point to your little endeavor then. Heh, yeah I know how to get in, but that's not the hard part. The hard part is getting out, capiche? Listen up and you may just survive."

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold up! Let me get this straight. You are just gonna help total strangers get in and save their friends?" Pedro queried.

"No, I'm not going to help you DO anything. I'm just going to TELL you how so save your stupid buddies. I was getting bored just sitting around anyway." The strange bird responded.

"Hmmm, too risky. Come on Rafi, let's-"

"W-w-w-wait. Hehe, don't listen to my friend here. We would love to hear any advice amigo." Rafael said as he held a wing around Pedro's beak.

"Smart decision, maybe you two WILL make it out. Heh, I wouldn't bet money on the tubby red bird though."

"HMMMMM!" Pedro mumbled while Rafael kept a strong grip on his beak.

* * *

In an isolated part of Rio de Janeiro, a Yellow Canary sat on top of a building with his talons dangling over the ledge. Thoughts raced through his mind as he replayed recent events in his head.

"_Why can't they see that this is pointless? They're dead. D-E-A-D, dead. I can't go back to another one of those torture houses! I may not be so lucky this time…"_

Nico looked up at the night sky.

"_Pedro. Man I wish you were here right now. Wait, Pedro is going to recuse to them, even if it may be a false lead. And I'm sure everyone else would do the same for me."_

The canary's eyes widened as he realized his fault.

"_Some bird I am! I let my own fears stop me from helping my friends!"_

Nico stood up onto his talons and spread his wings.

"Don't worry guys, I'm coming."

**Looks like everyone is having a hard time after the events of the smuggling. Thanks again for your reviews and support. The tentative release date for chapter 4 is Thursday. Have fun and keep writing! EgilMaster out!**


	4. Chapter 4: Just Dropping By

**Hey again! Another chapter coming up. Prior to that, I'm going to respond to guest reviews.**

**Fanfiction guy: While it may seem like the plot is a little crazy, it will be streamlined very soon. I just wanted to add a little depth to The Three Amigos, and at the same time start an underlying plot. You'll see what I mean later. Oh, and thanks for the other ideas. I'll see what I can do. To some extent most of what you said I already had planned anyway.**

"Ok, so here's what you gotta do. See that air vent?" The shadowy figure pointed a wingtip towards a heavily neglected side of the aviary, where a rusting air vent could be seen.

"Just take something hard and break those old bolts. After that, it'll be a cinch to knock off the vent. You follow?" The bird asked.

"Yes, I think we get it. But then how do we find where their room is?" Rafael requested.

"Oh, that's easy." He said while rubbing his wings together.

"The vent right there leads you directly above the breeding room. They should be inside that cage. Once you're over the room, just find a way to dislodge the vent cap. Those things are usually easy to open from the inside." He finished.

"Great! Thanks amigo!" Rafael thanked.

"Come on Pedro, let's go." He said while releasing his grip on Pedro's beak and began flying towards the aviary.

"Hmp, fine. This better w-" Pedro was left dumfounded as he turned towards the mysterious bird, but found that he had vanished.

"Ok, that's a little scary. Hehe, RafiiiiI!" Pedro shouted in fear as he darted towards Rafael.

"What is it now Pedro?" Rafael asked, slightly irritated by Pedro.

"T-that bird just disappeared like all ninja like! I-I should know." Predro explained.

"You are NOT a ninja Pedro. Anyway, he probably decided to fly away somewhere. Why are you worrying so much?" Rafael replied.

Pedro took a deep breath and sighed.

"I just wish Nico was here." The red cardinal said, saddened by his friend's absence.

"You and me both Pedro. Now come on, let's go find our friends." Rafael said with determination as he picked up a rock in his talons, and prepared to break open the air vent.

From a nearby tree, the dark figure was watching Rafael and Pedro follow his advice. He folded his wings together as he leaned on the bark of the tree. He soon formed an evil grin which wrapped around his face like a stream of smoke, indulging and intoxicating him.

"Heh, thanks for doing my job for me. Idiots."

* * *

Back inside the aviary, Jewel had just finished recounting her dream to Blu.

"…when I looked up I saw that YOU were standing over me." Jewel said, still a little sad. However, she was feeling lot better now that she had someone to talk to.

"Then what happened?" Blu inquired, captivated by Jewel's strange dream.

"Then I woke up, and saw you were standing outside the tree. Wait, why were you awake?" Jewel then redirected the question to Blu.

"Oh yeah, that." Blu said while rubbing his neck.

"I'm on Minnesota time, remember?" Blu lied. He hated to keep anything from Jewel, but they were talking about her, and shifting the subject would be selfish of him. Besides, he really didn't want to let Jewel know anyway. What would she think of him? A bird being afraid of living in his natural habitat. The truth was he had started to worry about the future. Blu was scared about living in the wild once Jewel's wing was fully healed. He knew he couldn't just leave Rio and go back to Moose Lake. He also knew that Jewel was a very free spirited bird, and it wouldn't be fair to keep her locked up in a bookstore all day. This meant if Blu wanted to be with Jewel, which he desired more than anything in the world, he had to *gulp* live in the wild. The thought sent a strong feeling of inquietude throughout Blu's physical and mental being.

"Sorry, I forgot." Jewel responded, breaking Blu's concentration.

"So what do you think of my dream?" She asked.

"Oh, well I'm not entirely sure. Did anything like that happen to you as a child?" Blu queried.

Jewel's eyes widened. She had not thought about her childhood in years. She probably just pushed it to the back of her mind because she couldn't handle thinking about it alone. But now it was right in front of her. And this time she had someone who was kind and understanding enough to actually help her though it.

"Well, actually I-"

"Ouch! Watch where your steppin' man! That really hurt!"

"Sorry amigo, it's a little dark in this thing."

Blu and Jewel looked up at the air vent, where the sound was emanating from, and recognized the voices.

Suddenly a creaking sound was heard, and a portion of the air vent attached to the ceiling gave way. Along with the vent, came two birds.

"Rafael? Pedro?" Blu and Jewel said simultaneously, shocked that their two friends had found them.

"Blu! Jewel!" Pedro and Rafael exclaimed as they ran towards the two lovebirds.

"Omph!" Blu groaned as the two birds engulfed him and Jewel in a warm hug.

"Blu buddy! We thought you were dead, bird! Don't ever to that to us again!" Pedro jubilantly shouted.

"What happened to you guys? And Jewel! Why is your wing wrapped in those white streamers?" Rafael asked before releasing his grip on the two birds.

"Well after you guys left us…" when Jewel said this she gave The Toucan and Cardinal an evil eye "…me and Blu were going to figure out a way to escape. We didn't have too much time to think because Nigel came in and pinned Blu down."

"Oh meu caramba! Then what happened?" Rafael inquired.

"Yeah…*Gasp* did you die!?" Pedro, now quite worried, asked.

Rafael turned to Pedro and gave him a "you moron" look.

"What?" Pedro asked, completely unaware.

"Please continue Jewel." Rafael said.

"Well, I tried to attack Nigel but he flung me into the side of the plane and a crate fell on my wing." Jewel said while looking down at her damaged wing.

"Thanks to Blu's quick reflexes and fast thinking, he shot Nigel out of the plane with a fire extinguisher and killed that stupid cockatoo with a propeller." Jewel said as she dreamily looked at Blu.

Blu just stood there and slightly blushed. No one could see it due to his feathers.

"Why don't you finish the story Blu?" Jewel insisted.

"O-ok, sure. *achem* So, after Nigel was gone the plane started falling out of the sky, I soon heard Jewel screaming. She had started sliding off the ledge of the plane's ramp!"

"What!? Man this story is poppin'!" Pedro exclaimed.

"Um, yeah. Anyway I wasn't fast enough, and she fell." Blu shuttered just remembering that moment.

"Seeing her falling like that, I-I I then realized how much I truly cared for her. Even though I couldn't fly, and had a better chance of survival staying on the plane, I couldn't imagine spending the rest of my life without her. Even if it was only a few minutes. So, I jumped off the plane."

"Really!? YOU did that?" Rafael was completely in shock that, for once in his life, Blu actually listened to his heart, not his mind.

"Yeah, I did. After that I caught up to Jewel and held her in my wings. She thought I was crazy." Blu said while chuckling a little.

"At that moment, I confessed my feelings for her. By that time, all I wanted was to die with her in my wings. But then something I never expected happened. Jewel kissed me."

"Awwwwww." Rafael and Pedro chorused.

"Then you died, right?" Pedro added.

"Um, no. Actually I started feeling a strange sensation in my chest. All of the blood in my body felt like it ran into my wings. They then spread open by themselves, and the next thing I knew I was flying with Jewel in my talons." Blu said, somewhat proud of himself.

"Bobo here thinks he's all that because he can fly now." Jewel said while playfully nudging Blu with her wing.

"That's great Blu! You finally found the rhythm in your heart!" Rafael said while placing a wingtip to his heart.

Blu responded by chuckling a little.

"After that, we found Linda and Tulio and went to the aviary to have my wing fixed." Jewel concluded.

There was a moment of silence.

"Wow, some adventure you guys had eh?" Rafael said, breaking the silence.

"Wait! We gotta break you out of here amigos! Come on, let's go!" Rafael exclaimed as he realized that they had been delayed. The Toucan and Canary began running towards the air vent, but to their surprise, no one was following them.

"Hey, aren't you guys coming?" Pedro asked, puzzled that his friends weren't in a hurry to escape.

"Um, guys. We really don't want to leave." Blu answered.

"For now, anyway." Jewel added, much to the discomfort of Blu.

"B-But why? Aren't those doctors doing crazy experiments on you? Like Zombies, but with birds! *gasp* Zombirds! Or, or Birdies. No, wait that wouldn't work. Yeah, I like Zombirds better." Predro questioned.

Everyone's eyes grew large as they stared at Pedro, scared by his "unique" ways of thinking.

"Uh, no. Tulio was actually the one who fixed my wing." Jewel said, still a little confused by where Pedro even came up with such a ridiculous idea.

"Why would you think they were torturing us?" Blu added.

"Because of me." A voice rang out from behind them.

Everyone redirected their attention to see a yellow canary, standing on the floor of the artificial jungle.

"Nico?" Everyone said in unison.

"Listen guys, I haven't been fully honest with any of you." He said while slowly walking over to the four birds.

"Not even you Pedro." Nico admitted while looking down at his talons.

"But buddy, we tell each other everything!" Pedro said, a little shocked that his friend was keeping secrets from him.

"Pedro, Rafi, you guys know I'm afraid of doctors. But what I told you guys to explain why was… IT WAS A LIE! I didn't really stay up all night watching Hospital Horror Stories." Nico suddenly stated sobbing, using both of his wings to cover his eyes.

Pedro walked up to Nico and put a wing around him.

"Its ok man, do you want to talk about it?" Pedro asked, now concerned for his brother-friend.

"*sniff* I-I don't know if I can. I can't bear to relive that day." Nico responded as he looked off in the distance.

"Nico, I know it's hard. Trust me I know. But I was talking with Blu just a moment ago about something similar, and I felt a lot better once I told him. Please Nico, we're all here for you." Jewel insisted.

The canary looked up at the warm expressions of his friends.

"O-ok, just remember I didn't mean for any of it to happen! It just, did…"

Everyone stared intently at the small canary, as he prepared to tell his closest friends about his dark and traumatizing past.

**Another chapter done! For all of you are getting tired of this little diversion, don't worry. The next chapter will be the conclusion to the whole Nico subplot. There will be more bonding between Blu and Jewel, and Linda/Tulio will be reintroduced. Also, check out my profile as I will be updating it with chapter names and target release dates. Oh, and what do YOU think a Zombie Bird would be called? Feel free to post your thoughts in the comments. Remember to review, and thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5: Confession

**Guest Review Responses**

**Fanfiction guy: It's cool if you're starting to run out of ideas to write. You have definitely written plenty as it stands now, so thanks. I'm glad you enjoy my story enough to write down some ideas to make it better. See you in the comments my friend.**

_3 Years ago_

_Island of Saint Helena South Atlantic Ocean_

Two Yellow Canaries, one male and one female, were flying side-by-side over Sandy Bay beach on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon. The name of the beach is misleading however, due to the fact that there is no sand and the majority of the island is covered in dense forests. The male canary turned his attention to the female.

"Oh, man. I'm soooo hungry! I wish dad didn't keep us so long with his stupid lecture." The male said while rubbing his stomach with his wings briefly.

"Nico, you know dad only wants us to be safe. I'm sure even you can understand that." The female responded while looking at her counterpart with a cheeky expression.

To her dismay, the female did not receive a response as Nico was too concerned with his lack of sustenance.

"Hey Nico, I have something you can eat." She said, in a slightly devious tone.

Nico then perked up, revealing an ecstatic expression.

"Really?! What is it?" He said quite excitedly.

The female then suddenly darted ahead and looked back at the other.

"You can eat my Tail Feathers! Haha!" She shouted while swiftly banking according to the curves of the island.

"Oh, no you don't!" Nico yelled as he rocketed ahead, determined to catch up.

"_She thinks she can out-fly me? We'll see about that!"_ Nico thought to himself as he suddenly dove down into the forest like a kamikaze.

A moment prior to colliding with the forest floor, Nico pulled up and used the momentum he collected to shoot himself forward at an extremely fast velocity.

"Ohh Baby! This…is…faasssstttt!" Nico yelled as he dashed a few inches above the ground.

Nico's eyes grew huge as he noticed an incoming tree.

"Uh oh."

Nico quickly rotated 90 degrees to the left, so that one wing was nearly touching the jungle floor while the other was pointing up towards the canopy.

He shot past the tree as his chest feathers grazed the bark. After he had cleared the obstacle, Nico readjusted his body back to a flat 180 degrees, parallel to the ground. Just as he thought his troubles were over, Nico noticed a mountain of rocks, approximately 20ft tall, rapidly approaching.

"Shoot…"

With little time to readjust, Nico desperately attempted to pull up. Unfortunately his ascent was not great enough and, as a result, he collided with the tip of the rocks. This caused the small canary to front-flip continuously.

"Waaaaaa!"

By some miracle, either through luck or experience, Nico managed to regain his balance without losing a great deal of momentum. As the small bird recovered from the dizzying aerial acrobatics, he noticed that his female companion was nowhere in sight.

"Hmm, I guess I was too much for her." Nico said to himself proudly while slowing down and puffing his chest feathers.

After another five minutes, Nico made it to his destination. It was a small village sitting on the outskirts of the island. The yellow canary perched himself on top of a nearby building.

"Haha!" He yelled while dancing around briefly.

"No one can top the king of racing!" Nico said ecstatically, unaware that someone else had already landed on the building prior to his arrival.

"Don't you mean the 'queen'"? A female voice interjected.

Nico turned around to see his counterpart laying on her back with her wings behind her head, soaking up the rays.

"Wha?" Nico gasped in disbelief.

"But h-how. I thought you were, and then I was, and t-then. Wha?" He mumbled as he tried to cope with the situation.

The female merely giggled in response.

"I guess you're going to have to find a new title, eh Bro?" She teased.

"Hmph, whatever Nicole. Let's just go find food, ok?" Nico said with his wing folded.

"Oh, what's the matter? Is little Niki a sore loser?" Nicole said with a voice new parent would use when conversing with a newborn.

"Very funny." Nico responded while rocking his head left and right with each word.

"Come on, my stomach is digesting itself." He concluded as he flew away.

"Oh Nico." She sighed.

"After all these years, you're still the same silly brother I love." She said to herself while happily shaking her head.

Nicole caught up to Nico, who was sitting on a tree, and perched herself next to him.

"Wow, this place is amazing. I always wanted to visit the city." Nicole said while gazing at all of the sights and taking in all the sounds.

"So, Nico. Where are the fruit trees?" She inquired.

"What? No,no,no. My sis isn't going to eat any old fruit. We're going for the good stuff." Nico said, chuckling while shaking his head.

"O-K. Where is this 'good stuff' then?" She said skeptically.

"Right over there." Nico replied while smiling and pointing a wingtip to a nearby building.

"What!? There is NO way I'm going in there Nico. Don't you remember what happened t-"

"Hey, relaaaax. That bird was just careless. Heh, and fat. We won't get caught." Nico interrupted while placing a wing around his sister. He then moved his head closer to Nicole's.

"Besides, maybe we can bring back something sweet for that special someone you've been watching." Nico sang by raising his voice at the end to make it more appealing.

Nicole just looked down at her talons and blushed.

"O-Ok Nico, but it better be quick!" She said sternly and extended a wingtip like a pointer finger in an attempt to appear more serious.

"Don't worry baby bird. We go in, get the food, and go out. I've done it dozens of times." Nico suavely responded before taking off towards the building he pointed to earlier.

Nicole followed, but remained wary of the possible adverse consequences.

The two siblings flew through an open window and landed on a white tiled floor.

"Here we are. Heaven in a box." Nico said while extending his wings.

The colorful light emanating from this strange metallic rectangle radiated off the two birds.

"Can Corn?" Nicole said in an inquisitive voice.

"Oh, sorry." Nico apologized. He hopped over to the box and gave it a swift kick.

The grey neon lights on top of the box, that were unreadable before, flickered for a moment before reactivating.

Nicole hopped next to Nico and squinted.

"Candy Corner!? Nico! You know what dad said about this human stuff." She said while jabbing him in the stomach with her wing as if it were an elbow.

"Omph! Watch the belly sis. I'm full of acid right now, remember?" Nico, oblivious to her disapproval, complained.

"We need to get out of here, now!" Nicole commanded.

As she began walking away, her brother grabbed her wing.

"Oh come on, you HAVE to try this Juicy Fruit stuff. It's amazing! It looks absolutely nothing like fruit!" Nico, in attempt to persuade his sister, begged.

"Ugh, fine. But after this, promise me you'll never come into a place like this again!" She mandated while placing her wings on her hips.

"Yes!" Nico shouted.

He then proceeded to fly up to the change return slot and landed on the metal ledge. The male canary slid his small wing into the dark hole and began feeling around inside.

"There's usually one in- AH! Got one!" Nico exclaimed as he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a shiny coin.

"Stupid people. They literally throw money away." He mumbled to himself.

"Ok sis, lunch is served." Nico said with the best "fancy" voice he could contrive.

He looked up to see a vertical line, a few centimeters thick, within reach. Nico pushed the shiny coin into the slot and flew up to the machine's keypad.

"Let's see, if I remember then those fruit sticks should be C7." Nico said while pushing the buttons with his talons.

The small screen on the box flashed C7 and, on the inside of the metallic cube, the product began inching its way towards the ledge. Nico landed down next to his sister as they both watched the miracle of human mass production.

Then, the machine stopped.

"WHAT!" Nico exclaimed.

He flew up to the glass and began banging on it with his talons.

"NOOOOO. That…was…my….last…coin!" He whined as he banged the glass with each word.

"Nico, I think we should go." Nicole suggested, now starting to become nervous.

"No, my sister deserves the best! You WILL taste the Juicy Fruit!" Nico yelled, now determined to give his sister what he thought was the best.

The small, now furious, male canary flew down to the vending machine flap and tried pushing it.

"Hey, help me out here." He grunted while trying to push the flap.

"Sis? Do you hear me?" Nico asked again.

"N-N-NICOOOO!" Nicole shrieked. This caused Nico to turn around to find why his sister was yelling. To his horror, a tall man with a medical mask over his face was examining the panicking Nicole in his hands. Nico looked around frantically in an attempt to find something of use so he could help his sister.

"Hey you! Get your hands of my sis!" Nico shouted as he threw a bottle cap like a Frisbee towards the man. The cap hit the man's hands and, out of sheer surprise, he dropped Nicole.

The female canary managed to catch herself while falling and darted towards the window. Nico picked up the bottle cap, thinking it may come in handy later, and placed it on his head while pursuing his sister.

Another man wearing a medical mask just happened to be walking by at this time.

"Hey you! Close the window! Don't let them escape!" The first man shouted.

Nico quickly caught up to his sibling and flew directly behind her.

"Nicole…Remember that game we used to play when we were younger?" Nico asked.

Nicole's eyes grew as she realized what her brother was going to do.

"Nico! You don't need to do this! We can make it out together!" She tried to convince him. However, even though Nico wasn't a smart bird like Blu, he knew that at their current speed neither of them would make it out before the man closed the window.

"If I don't make it…" He yelled dramatically while grabbing her talons in his in midair.

"Take care of DAAAADDDD!" Nico exclaimed as he used all of his energy to catapult Nicole forwards.

Nicole shot forwards like a yellow bullet, and she popped out the window. Nico had sacrificed so much momentum and energy saving his sister, he almost came to a complete stop. A brief moment after his sister escaped, the window was slammed shut by the man next to it. Nico could merely hover as he watched the men run towards him.

"Here goes nothing." Nico whispered to himself as he flew towards the ceiling right before the two men caught him. With little time to react, the two men slammed into each other and fell onto the floor.

"Heh, that was easy." The canary said to himself as he started to make his way through the building in hopes of finding an exit. Unfortunately, he didn't get far as he felt a slight pinch on his back. The room around Nico started swirling like water down a drain pipe. The small bird fell out of the air and collapsed on the tiled floor.

"Ohhhhh" Nico moaned to himself. The world started fading. The last thing he saw were a pair of brown khakis marching up to him.

"Ooooo, this will do nicely."

* * *

_Present Day_

"The next thing I knew, I was in a tree in the Jungle of Rio. I bumped into Pedro soon after and the rest is history. I-I'm just sad that I caused so much trouble." Nico said, and then sniffed.

Blu, Jewel, and Rafael just stood there in disbelief while staring at Nico. Pedro was standing next to his buddy with a wing over the little canary's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

Blu lifted his wingtip like a finger and opened his beak, as if he were about to say something, when the handle to the door of the room they were in began to turn. The five birds redirected their attention to the entrance to see a shocked employee. His jaw had dropped, and his shoulders were stiff.

"T-t-t-TULIO!" He screamed as he ran down the hall he came from, completely forgetting about the door he had left open.

"Well, I guess it's time for us to go amigos." Rafael said nervously as he placed his wings on Nico and Pedro's back and pushed them towards the vent they used to enter. He quickly turned his head around, nearly decapitating Pedro as his huge beak swung around. Fortunately the cardinal used his quick reflexes, which he obtained from his years of samba, to duck and save his head from being knocked off.

"So you guys SURE you want to stay here?" Rafael asked one more time in order to ensure that he had done everything in his power to help his amigos.

"Yes Rafael, we're sure." Blu responded as he smiled and placed a wing around Jewel.

"Ok, see you around then." The toucan bid farewell as he and the samba masters grabbed the piece of fallen vent with their talons and pulled it back up to the ceiling.

"See ya Blu!" Pedro thanked and walking down the vent.

Nico just stood there, looking through the grate. He lightly smiled and waved a wing.

"Thank you. Thank you guys." He said as he walked off, his talons clicking on the metal inside the shaft.

No sooner than the three amigos had left, two ornithologists came running into the room. One was the aide that had originally noticed the three extra birds. The other was Tulio, obviously disgruntled by being dragged over here. The aide just stood there as before, dumbfounded. Tulio arched an eyebrow and gave the aide an irritated look.

"See, I told you. You were just seeing things." Tulio said as he walked away.

"Maybe you should get some sleep." He yawned as he walked down the hallway.

The aide remained in his current stance for a few moments before relaxing and exhaling deeply.

He rubbed the back of his neck while mumbling something to himself.

The door closed, and the two lovebirds were once again alone.

"Well, that was heavy." Blu said while staring off into the distance.

"Yeah. *yawn* I guess we should get some sleep though." Jewel replied.

"So do you want to go back up to the tree hollow?" Blu inquired.

"You know, I'm fine down here." Jewel responded while snuggling her head into Blu's chest.

"Unless you want to go back up." She added.

"If you're happy, I'm happy Jewel." Blu said lovingly. He looked down at Jewel and noticed that she was already asleep.

"_I wonder what tomorrow will bring."_ Blu thought to himself as he drifted off to sleep.

**Nico's backstory is complete. Now you know his story. Sorry I'm a little late, but I hope this longer chapter makes up for it. Hopefully tomorrow **_**Blu's Day Out**_** will be finished. We're going to be covering some major plot points in these upcoming chapters, so get ready. Oh, and thank you sooo much for your reviews!**


	6. Chapter 6: Blu's Day Out

**Guest Review Responses:**

**Fanfiction guy: Thanks, glad you liked it. I think Blu's backstory would be something that should be introduced in later story, but you never know. I like the idea of using another villain to explain Blu's parent's disappearance though. This next chapter, and subsequent ones, will revolve more around the other characters. Thank you for the ideas, and for reading my story!**

The two lovebirds have woken up from their relaxing sleep. Halfway through the night Blu though he heard a cat running around in the jungle. Jewel assured him that it was nothing, but Blu began to panic. Jewel finally conceded as they both walked up into the tree hollow using a wooden ramp. Tulio had installed it so Jewel could get to a higher point in the jungle without exerting too much energy. Since it was essentially a plank, Blu kicked it away so the "cat" couldn't use it to reach them.

As the two Blue Macaws shook off their sleepiness, Blu flew down to the jungle floor to retrieve the plank. As he landed, Blu looked both ways, as if he were going to cross a street, to be sure that there wasn't a cat nearby. When he felt safe, Blu darted to the wooden ramp and grabbed it in his talons before flying back up to Jewel. As he leaned the plank against the tree, and ensured that it was stable enough, he turned his attention back to Jewel.

"Ok. According to my calculations as long as there isn't any seismic activity greater than or equal to 7.1 Mw within the next three and a half minutes you should be…fine? Jewel? Jewel are you listening? Our window of opportunity is closing!" Blu panicked, afraid of even the smallest chance of his precious Jewel being harmed, even in the slightest. However, Jewel was oblivious to Blu's warning.

Without much thought, Blu realized what the matter was. Jewel was starting up at the artificial tree canopy, slightly, almost unnoticeably actually, moving her gaze around in different shapes. Blu was able to pick up on this and knew that she had to be imagining what it wa like to fly around.

Jewel was interrupted from her thoughts when she felt a slight pressure around her body, and the sound of flapping wings. She looked up to see Blu had grabbed her in his talons, not to different than when he was carrying her to the dismantled airport, and was ascending.

"Woah, Blu!"

Blu began flying around the perimeter of the room with Jewel secure in his talons.

"This, this is amazing! Haha!" She yelled, now elated.

"Wooohoooo!" Jewel continued while extending her neck.

Blu chucked and looked down at his passenger. Jewel now had her eyes closed ans was enjoying the air rubbing against her feathers. Blu was so lost in her beauty, he forgot to bank and nearly collided with a wall. Fortunately, he quickly recovered without Jewel noticing. After a few minutes, the lovebirds landed on the Jungle floor.

"So how was your flight?" Blu asked while saluting and puffing his chest, pretending to be a military pilot.

Jewel giggled in response.

"It was nice, but next time try to watch where you're going. OK?"

Blu returned to his normal posture.

"Oh, that. Hehe. I guess you noticed?" Blu said nervously while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, when I didn't feel you turning when you should have, it was a little bit of a giveaway." She explained while placing a wing on her hip and arching the feathers around her eye.

"But your eyes were closed, how did you-"

"Experience Blu. Something you are lacking in." She explained while returning to her normal pose.

"Well actually Jewel, um, I'd hate to go off on a tangent, but you don't end a sentence with a preposition." Blu replied, trying to change the subject as he knew where this was going.

"Oh no you don't Blu. Don't change the subject on me!" Jewel retorted, faking irritation.

Blu did not pick up on this though, and he started to fear for his neck. He rubbed around throat nervously, afraid that Jewel might pin him down again.

"Blu, you need to get some practice." Jewel mandated while pointing a wingtip on Blu's chest.

"And the only way to do that is outside." She concluded while moving her wing towards a wall, signaling Blu should go outside.

"Ohhh, I was afraid you would say that." Blu moaned while clenching his beak.

"Come on, it will be good for you. And If you don't go on your own, I'm gonna kick that blue butt of yours out there."

Blu knew he had no choice.

"Ok fine. I'll go later today." Blu conceded while hanging his head.

"That's my Blu!" Jewel said sweetly.

A muffled voice coming from behind a wall was soon heard.

"Let him -?! But that would -!" Blu and Jewel managed to hear by cupping their wings around their ears.

"Sounds like Tulio." Blu said like it was obvious.

"What do you think he's talking about?" Jewel asked her lovehawk.

Blu didn't have time to respond as the door to the room was opened. Tulio walked in and kneeled down in front of Blu and Jewel.

"Ok Jewel, it's time for a checkup." He said while extending his hands so Jewel could get into them.

Jewel hopped into his hands and signaled for Blu to come with her. Blu obeyed and wedged himself next to her.

"Oh, Blu. I'm sorry, but Linda insisted that you saw her. I know you two want to be with each other right now, but she twisted my arm." Tulio explained compassionately. He soon noticed the two lovebird's saddened expressions.

"Hey, don't worry. You guys will be back together in no time." Tulio assured them.

"Hey Jewel, if you really want I can-"

"No Blu, don't try to get out of that whole flying thing.' Blu was cut off by Jewel.

"This is the perfect time to go. I'll be fine. Go, enjoy yourself." Jewel insisted while shooing him with her good wing.

As much as Blu wanted to argue, he really wanted to see linda, and he knew that being apart was sometimes god for a relationship.

Blu sighed.

"Ok. I'll be back before you know it." Blu said while smiling warmly.

"Of course you will." Jewel replied. She leaned forward and pecked Blu on the side of his beak.

During their conversation, Tulio had walked into the Aviary entrance room. Blu walked over to the edge of Tulio's hand, and took off to go find Linda.

"Come on Jewel, time for that checkup. Blu should be back when you are done." The ornithologist reminded.

"Ugh, I hope Blu hurries." Jewel mumbled to herself.

* * *

Blu was flying though the hallways, searching for Linda. As he turned the corners, he caught some of the employees off their guards.

"Waaaa! Don't hurt me!" One of the aides yelled while covering his head with his arms.

Blu just merely flew over him.

"Man, where does Tulio find these people? The Ornithophobia convention?" Blu said to himself while rolling his eyes.

Blu flew past an alcove in one of the hallways and noticed a familiar Minnesotan sitting on a chair.

"Linda!" Blu exclaimed, now elated that he had found his owner.

Linda heard Blu's squawk and turned her head from what she was doing to greet her companion.

"Blu!" She said in reply with an arm out so her aviary friend could perch himself.

"How's my big brave boy been doing?" She asked as she pet Blu with her free hand, pushing down his feathers and watching them pop back up as her hand slid across his back.

Blu remained there for a second with his eyes closed, enjoying Linda's warm hand. He then open his eyes and replied.

"Everything is great!" Blu squawked happily with a smile across his beak.

Linda just laughed, happy that she was once again in the company of her lifelong friend.

Blu wanted to ask Linda something very specific. It was going to be hard to do that, considering that she didn't speak bird. Blu couldn't understand why it was so easy for him to understand human, but no person could understand bird. That was a question for another day. Blu flew off Linda's arm and landed on a coffee table nearby that had a pen and notepad. Blu was going to write a note in English for linda, but if he did that then he would have to explain how he could write. The Blue Macaw didn't want to start a whole conversation about how he took an online English course when Linda was away camping, so he decided on something simpler. He drew a picture of the Christ the Redeemer statue, which in his opinion looked pretty good, and held it next to his head. He then began flapping his wings, without actually flying, and moved the picture past his head as if he were flying past it.

"Oh, I get! It's like charades! What is it, what is it? Hmmmm." Linda pondered for a moment while putting her fist up to her mouth.

Blu repeated his actions hoping that Linda may get it if he tried again.

"Ohhh, I know this." Linda said to herself.

Her feathered friend realized that this was not going anywhere and instead ripped the picture out of the book and placed it on Linda's shoulder. Blu then leaped into the air and flew around her.

"Oh I get! You want to see something!" Linda exclaimed when she though she figured it out.

Blu hovered in front of Linda and shook his head up and down, showing approval.

Linda took the picture off her shoulder and examined it.

"_The Christ the Redeemer statue?"_ She thought to herself.

"What? You want to go flying to see the statue?" Linda inquired.

While this wasn't exactly what Blu wanted, he took what he could get. Blu squawked and shook his head again.

"Oh Blu, are you sure? I don't think this is such a good idea. Remember back in Minnesota, when you wanted to go ice skating on that pond?" Linda tried to convince Blu.

Blu just looked up at her with puppy eyes while frowning.

"Not the puppy eyes. Ohhhhh, fine." Linda finally conceded.

Blu perked up and chirped happily.

"Tyler Blu Gunderson! Promise me you'll be back within the hour." Linda demanded.

Blu nodded and flew up onto Linda's shoulder. He rubbed his head into her neck as a way of saying thank you.

"Ok, ok Blu. I get it. You're welcome." She responded before scratching her feathered friend's throat.

Linda walked through the hallways with Blu on her shoulder until she made it to the aviary entrance. She pushed the door open so she could take Blu outside.

"Remember what I told you Blu." She reminded her friend.

Blu nodded to tell her that he understood the terms. He made some last minute check before taking off.

"Ok, Flaps open." He opened his wings.

"Perfect. Landing gear." He examined his talons.

"Check. Tail flaps." He looked back at his tail.

"Operational. And actually...not bad, again." He chuckled as he reminisced about the time in minnesota when he reviewed the same checklist.

"Except this time everything is going to work out."

"Positive reinforcement, accounted for." He added.

"Ok, lets fly." Blu said determined and excited.

This was going to be his second time flying outside, so he was still a little nervous. He shook his body and leaped forward before flapping his wings and taking flight into the skies of Rio.

As Blu was making his way upwards, he could hear Linda's voice calling out to him.

"Goodbye Blu!" She called out.

Blu's owner remained there for a moment watching her companion fly into the sky.

"Be careful." She said quietly to herself.

* * *

Blu was finally airborne. He felt the air brushing against his feathers as he took a deep breath. The fresh air filled his lungs with oxygen, fueling his body for flight. Today was absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining, the ocean was glistening, the city was bustling, and a bird was coming right for Blu.

"Hey you! Look where you're go-"

Blu and the other bird slammed into each other causing them to spiral out of control.

"Waaaaa!" Blu yelled.

"You moron!" The bird screamed while pushing himself away from Blu.

Both Blu and the other bird instinctively extended their wings as to recover from their fall. More so for the bird Blu bumped into, due to the fact that Blu essentially lacks any natural instincts.

"Who do you think you are just flying around like that!? What, the sky isn't big enough for you!?" The bird vociferated. This bird was a macaw, but it wasn't like any Blu had read about. Blu spent a great deal of time learning about all of the types of Macaws, so that in the event he met one so he wouldn't look stupid asking what species they belonged to. So much for that.

"I-I apologize sir. I didn't mean anything, I just don't have much experience." Blu explained.

"What, do I look like I was born yesterday? Next are you gonna tell me today is your first day flying?" The bird replied sarcastically.

"Not exactly. Yesterday was." Blu responded while chuckling nervously.

"Wait, how does a bird YOUR age not fly until yesterday?" The bird questioned, now becoming irritated.

"It's kind of a long story. I'm one of the last of my kind and was never taught how to." Blu tried to summarize.

For some reason the bird's expression softened. His eyes lost their fury, and became more compassionate.

"Oh, well I'm sorry to hear that." The bird apologized.

"Don't be. Everything worked out in the end. Now I'm with the most beautiful bird in the world, and have some new friends as well." Blu explained while smiling happily.

"Sounds like you have an interesting story to tell, eh?" The bird said while arching the feathers around his left eye.

"I guess you could say that." Blu responded while laughing a little.

"Oh, where are my manners? Names Paris." Paris smiled and introduced himself while extending a talon (due to the fact that they were still hovering in midair).

"My name is Blu. You know, like the cheese with mold on it. Smells really bad?" Blu responded while accepting Paris's talon shake.

"Heh, I like you." Paris laughed, thinking Blu's mannerisms were funny.

"Hey, how about we go to the fruit market so you could tell me more about this girl of yours. My treat." Paris offered.

"Well, I don't see why not. But first can we stop by the Christ the Redeemer statue? I promised someone I would go there."

**Paris, my first Rio OC, is here! Who is he? Is he good or evil? Will Blu ever stop using cheese to describe his name? All of these will be answered! (well maybe not the cheese one). Thanks again for your reviews! And as always, have fun and keep writing!**


	7. Chapter 7: Confrontation

**Ok, the next chapter is up. Don't want to keep you too long, so here are the guest review responses:**

**Fanfiction guy: Thanks! Glad you liked it. Yeah, it's important to keep the characters' personalities constant. The next chapter should have more of Blu talking about his concerns for the future, so stay tuned for that. Sure, I'd love to read your ideas. I guess you will be posting them here? Also, I know how you feel about exams. I am in the same boat. ;) School always comes first. Hope you enjoy this next chapter, and as usual thanks for the review.**

After flying for a minute or two, Blu and Paris arrived at the Christ the Redeemer statue. The two birds perched themselves on the statue's left arm with Blu on the right of Paris, closer to the head.

"Wow, this is amazing." Blu said in amazement while looking out over Rio.

"Yeah" Paris replied while stretching his wings above his head. He exhaled deeply as his stretch finished and his wings returned to his sides.

"You don't really get used to a view like this." Paris added.

The two remained there for a few moments, taking in the beauty of Rio; It was comprised of manmade architectural wonders and the natural aura of the jungle.

"So, you're a Blue Macaw then?" Paris asked after turning his head towards Blu.

"Um, yes. How did you know?" Blu said while turning his head to Paris's.

"Hehe. You don't visit the city without catching up on the local news." Paris chuckled.

"What do you mean?" Blu asked, now a little confused as to why HE was on the local news.

"Your face was kind of plastered everywhere. I'm surprised I didn't recognize you sooner. Some anemic lady and her crazy friend put up pictures of you everywhere. That guy just wouldn't keep quiet with all of those weird squealing sounds." Paris rubbed the temples of his head as if he had a headache.

"Oh, that must have been Linda and Tulio. And she's not anemic, there just isn't much sun in Minnesota." Blu retorted sternly, a little offended.

"Oh, sorry man. I-I didn't know that they were your friends." Paris apologized, now embarrassed, while rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's ok, wait you are ok with humans?" Blu said with his eyes wide open in shock.

"Yeah. I mean your friends are your friends, and your enemies are your enemies. Doesn't matter who you are." Paris shrugged and tilted his head a little as if to indicate it wasn't a big deal.

"_Maybe he should talk to Jewel when her wing is healed. Right now, the only human she really trusts is Tulio. What if something happens that needs Jewel to trust other humans?" _Blu thought to himself.

"So, Blu. You wanna grab something at the fruit market now?" Paris said and interrupted Blu's thoughts.

"Oh, yes. I'm actually quite hungry." Blu said while rubbing his belly.

"Ok Great! I know this one place that has all the best fruits." Paris said while dreamily looking off into the distance and licked his beak.

"That sounds nice. Um, Paris? Is it ok if I ask you a question quickly?" Blu requested.

Paris broke out of his fruit fantasy and looked at Blu with a more serious expression.

"Sure, I guess." He replied somewhat skeptical.

There was one thing about Paris that bugged Blu. He had no idea as to what type of Macaw he was. Blu needed to find out.

"You already know that I'm a Blue Macaw. So I was just curious. What are you?"

After hearing Blu's question, Paris became very tense. His shoulders were as stiff as a rock, and his eyes dilated from anxiety.

"Oh, Um. Well you see, I-I'm a, uhhhh, Scarlet Macaw. Yep, all my life. Being, uhhh, scarlet. *achm*" He faked a smile as he pretended to be honest.

Blu could sense that Paris was very uncomfortable with this question. Even though he did share some features with Scarlet Macaws, Paris was definitely not one of them. However, Blu felt it was best to drop the question.

"Ok. Thanks." Blu thanked.

Yeah, no prob. Hey, come on! Or else I'm gonna eat all the fruit!" Paris then took off from the statue. He seemed to be returning to his normal disposition, but was obviously trying to get away from Blu long enough for the conversation to die.

"H-hey! I hope you're not serious! Eating too fast can cause indigestion, acid reflux, and general gastrointestinal discomfort!" Blu warned while trying to catch up to Paris. This was proving difficult as this "Scarlet Macaw" had a great deal more experience than Blu.

Paris looked over his shoulder back at Blu.

"Heh, I like you. Nothing you say makes any sense!" Paris chuckled.

Blu rolled his eyes.

"So I've been told." He mumbled to himself.

* * *

Stowed away in the corner of the fruit market was a local samba club for birds. It was recently dismantled by monkeys, but now it had been reconstructed by the proud owners. The proprietors were none other than the hip hop duo, Nico and Pedro. Pedro had just finished laying down a wooden board as to form a bar for birds to use to order and consume drinks. The tubby cardinal leaned against the bar, and panted a little.

"Whew." Pedro exhaled while he wiped his forehead with his left wing.

"Man, that was as hard as… uh, a rock?" Pedro tried to come up with an idiom in order to convey his point, but it just ended up backfiring when he couldn't think of anything.

Nico gave Pedro a confused look.

"What?" The yellow canary inquired, wondering what in the world his friend meant.

"Never mind, I just need a drink." Pedro replied while letting his tongue hand out.

"Now you're talkin'!" Nico chirped as he flew behind the bar.

"Now what can I get you sir?" Nico asked while deepening his voice in an attempt to seem more refined and distinguished.

Pedro chuckled. "I'll take a shot orange juice my good man." Pedro answered as he puffed his chest feathers and pointed his beak upwards to signify he was an elite.

Nico turned around and poured some orange juice, which was stored in an insulated metallic keg, into a small cup well suited for a bird.

"There you go buddy." Nico said as he slid the cup across the bar towards Pedro.

"Mmm Mmm" The cardinal hummed. He lifted up the cup to his beak.

"Look out stomach, here it-"

"Uh, Pedro?"

Pedro was cut off by Nico speaking in an aggravated tone.

Pedro looked up at his buddy over the rim of his drink.

"What?" Pedro queried, still thinking about the contents of his cup.

Nico pointed a wingtip towards the entrance of the club.

Pedro was confused as to why his friend was so upset. He followed Nico's wingtip to see a familiar face.

"Paris?" The two samba brother said in unison.

"Where you been hiding yourself bird? I thought you were dead!" Pedro called to his friend happily. He then squinted a little as he saw another figure land next to Paris.

"BLU!?" Pedro exclaimed, shocked to see these two birds together. This resulted in him spilling his organ juice on his belly because he wasn't paying attention to his cup.

"Aww man" The cardinal groaned.

"Heh, same Pedro I see." Paris laughed while walking towards the two buddies.

"Blu! Get away from him!" Nico warned and pointed at Paris.

Blu just stood there, confused and uncertain. He nervously moved his eyes from Nico and Pedro to Paris, and back again.

"Oh, don't listen to this joker." Paris suavely recommended.

"Joker!? Blu, don't let this THEIF trick you!" Nico retaliated.

"Oh come on! Are you still upset about that?" Paris asked, now getting tired of this.

"Wh-what's going on here?" Blu queried. He was shocked that Paris had actually stolen something from Nico.

"Yeah, what happened?" Pedro inquired, just as confused as Blu.

"This bird stole a strawberry right from my personal stash." Nico grumbled while giving Paris an evil eye.

"You should have seen it! That was the most perfect strawberry ever. Me and Pedro were supposed to share it, but sticky fingers got to it first." Nico added and crossed his wings.

"Wha- personal stash? It was sitting underneath a fruit cart by itself." Paris countered, now getting even closer to the canary.

"Well if you would have listened to me shouting at you, maybe you would have known!" Nico raged with his eyes narrowed, now face to face with Paris.

"You called that little chirping yelling? Maybe you should take some vocal lessons." Paris said while staring intensely into the small canary's eyes, trying his best to intimidate him.

Fortunately, Blu and Pedro pushed the two apart.

"Hey, hey. Listen Nico, I know he may have done you wrong." He quickly looked over his shoulder to check on Blu and Paris.

"But he did bring Blu with him. Maybe we should give Paris a second chance?" Pedro whispered to his cardinal friend.

Meanwhile, Blu was talking with Paris. Paris looked very frustrated with the current situation and was pacing back and forth over the span of a few inches.

"O-ok, I-I know that things may look bad, but maybe if you showed Nico and Pedro that you really are sorry they would forgive you. Maybe instead of, um, being aggressive you could be calmer?" Blu requested, really hoping he didn't go too far and get on Paris's bad side as well.

Paris sighed in defeat.

"You're right Blu." Paris admitted while looking down at his talons.

Paris and Nico started walking towards each other, leaving Blu and Pedro respectively. They met in-between the gap reaching from Blu to Pedro.

"Hey" Paris greeted.

"Hey" Nico replied.

"I'm sorry" Nico and Paris said at the same time.

They smiled warmly at each other, knowing that their friendship may be repaired.

Before the fruit incident, Nico, Pedro, and Paris were close. They were the party trio. Paris kind of filled the void due to Rafael starting a family. Maybe, they could be amigos again.

"Here" Paris said while pulling out something from underneath his right wing with his opposite talon.

He held out a stick of Juicy Fruit.

"Thanks" Nico gladly accepted the gift.

"So, we're cool?" Paris asked, arching the feathers around his right eye and offering a talon shake.

"Yeah. Just be careful what fruit you touch." Nico replied while pointing a wingtip at Paris teasingly.

Pedro walked up to Blu and stood next to him.

"That was pretty quick." Blu stated bluntly, surprised that this feud was over so quick.

Pedro looked over to the Blu Macaw.

"Yeah, it's kind of their thing. Me and Nico have samba, Nico and Paris have arguments." Pedro chuckled.

"I just get used to it and don't ask. Paris is kinda hot-headed. I guess it's just because of his situation." The cardinal shrugged.

Blu was about to ask Pedro something, but was interrupted by Nico.

"So Blu, what brings you to paradise?" The canary queried while spinning his bottle cap on a wingtip.

"Oh, well I was wondering if there was something to eat. I'm a little hungry." Blu explained.

"Come on guys, we got some stuff stockpiled in the back." Nico said while waving a wing and walking towards the back of the club, signaling for his amigos to follow.

What the four birds did not realize, was that there were three figures eyeing their movements. The middle figure, apparently the leader, chuckled.

"We got 'em."

* * *

Back at the aviary, a certain red headed woman was in an alcove situated along a hallway. She stood looking at a vending machine, pondering which snack she should treat herself to. A tall man walked up behind her without her noticing.

"You know the caramel melts taste really good with bird seeds." The man said.

The woman stiffened.

"Oh, sorry Linda. I didn't mean to startle you. Maybe I should-"

"Really Tulio?" Linda said while turning around to face the ornithologist.

"Well, I, um" He stuttered while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Bird seeds on the choco fudge bars are way better." Linda giggled.

Tulio was shocked. There actually was someone who was like him in so many ways. He stared into Linda's big, intelligent eyes.

"Tulio? Is there something you came here for?" Linda asked even though she felt she already knew the answer.

"Oh, well I was wondering if maybe perhaps, if you weren't too busy..." Tulio trailed off. What was he doing? He couldn't chicken out (no pun intended) now. No, he had to ask.

"D-Do you want to go out for dinner tonight?" He questioned, quite nervous. His knuckles white from anxiety.

Linda was ecstatic that Tulio actually asked her out. But she wanted to be sure of one thing first.

"Why would you want to do that?" Linda inquired, trying her best to remain composed.

"Well, during our little adventure I realized how special you are. And, I like you Linda. Aaand, I was hoping that you felt the same way and wanted to go on a date." Tulio couldn't believe that he actually said that. Now there was no ambiguity. He awaited her denial and the heartache that came with it.

"Oh Tulio, I would love to out with you!" Linda replied blissfully.

"Wha- r-really?" Tulio replied, dumbfounded.

"Of course. You're the only person I have ever met that was willing to give so much for me. I really appreciate you helping me find Blu." Linda said while walking up to Tulio.

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Tulio blushed a little, but his melanin covered much of it up.

"I need to get ready. I'll see you later Tulio." Linda said as she walked away down the hall.

The bird doctor stood there and sighed. He tried to take in everything that happened. Could she be the one? Much like Blu, could he have finally found his…

"Jewel!" Tulio exclaimed.

"I need to check on Jewel! Those aides can't take on that bird when the sedatives wear off." Tulio said to himself as he darted back to the room where Jewel was being taken care of.

**Another chapter completed! Thanks for your continued support. Just by reading, you raise the number of views which helps motivate me. Review are really awesome too, so any of those are great. Oh, and if you like my writing style then feel free to check out my fictionpress account. Same name, same game. That's all for now, see you in the next chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8: Funky Monkeys

**Guest Review Responses:**

**Fanfiction guy: If you liked the charcter development in the last chapter, you're going to love this one. Paris has an intereting backstory. One which will be revealed in small doses. Thank you again for your review, and I'll see your ideas when you post them. :)**

The four birds made their way to the fruit stockpile Nico and Pedro had prepared for the grand reopening of their club. It was ok if the four friends ate some of the food since the samba kings were a little over zealous with their search. Most of it was going to be thrown out anyway. Soon, they all were filling their beaks with delicious fruit.

Pedro took a wingful of grapes and began chewing on them.

"So Blu." The red crested cardinal started while licking away the juice from his beak.

"What brings you here, other than the food?" He asked while looking at the Blu macaw who was sitting on the opposite side of the table.

Blu politely stopped nibbling on his Blackberry, and looked up at Pedro.

"Oh, well Jewel thought it would be a good idea for me to get more experience flying outside." He explained.

"Didn't do too much good. The klutz whacked into me while I was flying." Paris chuckled while taking a break from his star fruit.

"Hey…how is Jewel doing?" Nico inquired while taking a bite of his banana slice.

"Her wing is recovering. I left right when she was going for a checkup." Blu replied.

"You know, I should be going soon. Judging by the position the sun was in when me and Paris came here, I have about twenty minutes until I have to start heading back." Blu thought aloud.

"What's the matter lovehawk? Can't stand to be away from hot wing?" Nico teased while laughing. Pedro decided to join in on the fun.

"Yeah Blu, worried that you're going miss a cuddling session?" Pedro joshed.

Blu became very uncomfortable and looked down at the blackberry in his wings.

"I don't see what's so funny." Paris interjected bluntly. He leaned back, due to the fact that there was a crate behind him, and crossed his wings.

"Nothing good comes from love. It just makes you soft." He snarled and looked away from the three birds.

Blu was confused as to what Paris had against love. Nico saw Blu's confused look and decided to explain. He leaned over to the blue macaw and whispered something to him.

"Never mind that party killer. He's just sour cuz he hasn't had much luck in finding someone."

Even though Nico took precautions to prevent Paris from hearing, the canary's words made their way to the macaw's ears.

Paris looked up with a bitter expression and slammed the wooden table with his right wing.

"It's not that! I just don't want him to get his hopes up!" Paris exclaimed furiously.

Blu became very aggravated by this. He wouldn't stand by and watch someone deny him his precious Jewel, even though Paris did not have any control over Blu.

"Hopes up? What are you saying?" Blu interrogated with a little irritation in his voice.

"What do you think I mean!? She'll leave you Blu! They're all the same!" Paris retorted and slammed his wing, curled up like a fist, onto the table again. He looked down, obviously becoming emotional. He continued speaking, now with a calmer tone.

"S-She'll leave you...just when you begin thinking about starting a family. No reason, she just left." Paris shed a tear that slid down his beak.

Everyone remained quiet for a moment until Paris stood up and walked out of the room through the rear exit.

"Hey, Paris...buddy wait!" Pedro called out to the macaw. It proved to be no good as he ignored his friends beckoning.

Pedro was about to get up and follow the upset bird, but Nico placed a wing on his shoulder and pushed the tubby cardinal back down into his seat.

"I think we should give him some space." Nico suggested.

Pedro nodded. He looked up to see Blu staring at his Blackberry with a blank expression.

"Hey Blu. Don't let it get to you. He doesn't know Jewel like we do." Pedro said comfortingly.

Blu just looked at the samba duo.

"But what if he's right? He asked.

"What are you talkin' bout Blu? I see the way Jewel looks at you, if that ain't love, I don't know what is." Pedro countered.

"Yeah, for now. But what if she doesn't feel that way when we are released. I mean, we've only known each other for approximately 74.43 hours! How is it possible for two birds to make a lifelong decision after only 3 days? I've lived with Linda for almost all of my life. I don't know anything about protecting and providing for Jewel! When she realizes that I'm more of an appetizer than an Alpha..."

Blu began panting heavily and couldn't finish talking.

Nico and Pedro were just staring at Blu with wide eyes, not really sure what to say. What could they do? Sure, Nico was a romantic and Pedro was a rapper, but they don't have the kind of life experience Blu needs.

"Ay Caramba, Blu you think too much." A familiar voice called out. Blu stopped his hyperventilating and looked towards the entrance to see Rafael.

"Rafi!" The samba kings called out.

The toucan radiated with honesty and warmth. He smiled as he walked up to the Blu Macaw.

"Remember, it's not what you think up here." He pointed to Blu's head with a wingtip.

"It's what you feel in here." Rafael moved his wing down to Blu's heart.

Blu looked up at Rafael.

The toucan brought his wing back to his side.

"You need show Jewel how much she means to you Blu. Do something romantic. Make her feel like the most important bird in the world." Rafael advised.

Nico and Pedro perked up as they realized that this was their area of specialty.

"Yeah Blu! I can see it now!" Nico excitedly shouted. His bottle cap bounced around as he jumped up onto the table and slid his wings in front of him to indicate he was envisioning something.

"A romantic candle lit dinner, soothing music, delicious food. The perfect mood." The canary said while staring off into the distance.

"Oh, I know how to set, the, mood. Check it out!" Pedro took a deep breath as he prepared to start his song. He was stopped as Nico put a wing over the cardinal's chest, like one would do if they wanted to stop someone from walking, and looked up at him with a stern face.

"No Pedro. Not THAT mood." Nico said, implying that Pedro should stop whatever he was going to do.

"Aww man." Pedro complained.

Blu thought this was actually a pretty good idea, not the singing part, the dinner part. But how in the world was he going to set this all up? Blu didn't have much time to think as a chilling voice hit his eardrums.

"Hello birdies." Mauro, the leader of the marmoset monkeys, greeted. He was accompanied by two of his henchmen.

All of the birds were shocked to see the monkeys again. The four feathered friends grew tense, and sprung into their battle positions. Pedro did what he claimed to be, _kung fu_. He punched the air a few times and gave Mauro a death stare.

"What are you doing here? Didn't you learn your lesson from last time Little King Kong?" Pedro inquired angrily.

"Woah, woah, woah, woah." Mauro said while raising his hands in the air. His minions did the same.

"I come in peace." He continued. The other two monkey just nodded in agreement.

"How can we be sure?" Rafael queried skeptically while folding his wings.

"Calm down big nose. We only attached you before because Nigel forced us to. We are very nice moneys. Well, unless you have something shiny." The marmoset leader explained.

"But you don't need to worry about HIM anymore." Mauro crackled and rubbed his monkey paws together.

"Yeah, I'm sorry it had to be that way." Blu said sadly while looking down at the flood.

"Oh, you know?" Mauro found it amazing that Blu knew Nigel's fate.

Blu looked up with a sincere expression.

"It was actually my fault." Blu replied.

"Oh, wow. I guess I don't need to tell you about him then. Let's just forget about that looser. Hey, even better, let's start over. That's actually the reason why we came here. I wanted to apologize for before." Mauro genuinely explained while rubbing his left arm sheepishly with his right paw.

"So, you think we can be friends?" The marmosets asked and extended a paw.

Blu smiled and walked up to the monkey. The macaw accepted Mauro's paw in his talon.

"Sure." Blu said.

"Haha, oh you won't regret this blue buddy!" Mauro ecstatically responded.

"If you need anything, and I mean ANYTHING, just swing by my camp. You can't miss it. The place is just a mile south of a hot tourist spot." He added.

They broke the talon-paw shake and took a few steps back.

"I will try to remember that. Thank you Mauro." Blu thanked.

"No problem! Hey, I gotta get going. See you birds around!" Mauro waved goodbye as he left with his minions following closely behind.

The room was quiet for a few moments.

"Well, that was a lot for one day." Pedro said while stretching his wings.

"Unequivocally." Blu responded.

Everyone just looked dully at Blu.

"What?" He asked innocently.

Rafael laughed.

"Nothing you say ever makes any sense." The toucan explained.

"_Ok, I think I get it."_ Blu thought to himself.

"I think I should be going back to aviary now." Blu announced.

"Thanks for your advice guys." He added.

"No prob Blu!" Pedro replied.

"It was nothing." Nico chirped.

Rafael walked up to Blu and put a wing around him.

"Remember Blu, just be yourself." He said while pointing to Blu's chest.

"Don't worry about being strong, coordinated, socially comfortable, confide-"

"Uh, Rafael." Blu interrupted, not seeing how this was supposed to make him feel better.

"Oh, sorry." He apologized.

"You know why I decided to help you two when we first met? I've seen hundreds of so called _couples_ who said they were in love but really weren't. I could tell that you ad Jewel weren't like that."

He paused and continued to smile at his amigo.

"I knew you two were in love before you did. My point is Jewel likes YOU Blu. And I'm sure she will feel the same way forever. You two were meant to be together." The toucan finished as he patted Blu on the back.

"Thanks Rafael." Blu thanked while looking up at his father figure.

"No problem amigo. Now go, she's waiting for you." He said while pushing Blu towards the rear exit.

Blu was standing outside, and gave his three friends a quick glance. The blue macaw took off into the skies of Rio, back to his beloved Jewel.

* * *

Blu was only flying for a few minutes when something caught his eye. He swooped down and clumsily landed on some grass. He stumbled as he recovered from his anything but graceful landing.

"I really need to work on my descent." Blu said to himself as he made his way towards a bush.

"Ahh, perfect. Jewel is going to love this!"

**Chapter complete! Hope you liked it. Looks like Blu and Mauro have different ideas on what happened to Nigel. Mauro does not tell Blu about Nigel because in Rio 2, Blu was surprised to see the cockatoo. Also Nigel seemed to have forgotten about Blu in the second movie until he saw him. I'm sure you are curious as to what Jewel is doing. Don't worry, the next chapter is going to be heavily centered on the two lovebirds. Until next time, have fun and keep writing!**


	9. Chapter 9: Waiting

**Quest Review Responses:**

**Fanfiction guy: Sure, you can use my first few paragraphs. Just make sure you say that it was copied from my story and that I gave you permission to use it (so no one accuses you of stealing). Thanks again for your review, and enjoy the next chapter!**

**Guest (Chapter6): I'm sorry. I don't understand what you mean. Could you explain in another review? Thanks.**

"Ohhhh" Jewel moaned as she woke up.

"I'm really getting sick of this sleepy stuff Tulio keeps giving me." She mumbled to herself.

Jewel got back onto her talons and stretched her wings to get the blood circulating.

"Ssssso. Look who deccccided to wake up…" A slithering voice called out.

Jewel's eyes shot wide open as she examined the checkup room, trying to find the source of the sound. It was a plain room, mostly with white furnishing. Jewel was on a metallic island in the center of the room. There was a window allowing light to enter, and a bar with various veterinary equipment on it. What really caught Jewel's attention was a 4 ft long by 2ft wide by 1ft tall glass cage. Inside the case was a Copperhead Snake. Jewel jumped back, almost falling over in the process, as she noticed the intimidating 1 ½ ft long Copperhead.

"I apologisssssse. I didn't mean to ssssstartle you." The snake apologized as its tongue flashed in and out of its mouth.

Seeing that the reptile was confined in its cage and, for the time being, could not harm her, the frightened macaw started to relax.

"Oh, no I'm fine. I just didn't expect anyone to be in here." Jewel replied while tucking her wings to her side.

"You mean you didn't expect to sssseeee a ssssnake." The Copperhead retorted, seeming to take offense even though Jewel didn't really say anything.

"What? No. I mean, I just-"

"Relaxxxxx little birdie. I would feel the ssssame way if it were me." The snake chuckled.

"Let'sssss try thissss again."

*achm* The snake cleared it throat as it held its tail, curled like a spring, up to its mouth (similar to how people cough while holding a fist up to their mouth).

"Hello, my namessss Anna. Whatssss yoursssss?" Anna introduced before continuing to probe the air with her tongue.

"Well, I'm Jewel. Nice to meet you Anna." Jewel politely replied, still a little unsure of this strange character.

"Oh no, the pleassssure issss all mine." The snake responded while smiling. She couldn't help but look villainous. It was just her facial structure. Even when trying to be genuine, Anna came across as devious. This was a little unnerving for Jewel as the blue macaw didn't know what to expect from this snake.

"So, um, Anna? Why are you here?" Jewel inquired, wondering what in the world a snake was doing in an aviary with helpless prey.

"You sssee, I am temporarily here for the ssschool kidssss. Ssssome sssort of field trip to learn about reptilessss and birdsssss. Who the idiot wassss who organisssed thisss issss what I would like to know." The snake giggled.

"I'm a Copperhead, a very venomoussss sssnake, and why they would want to bring thessse little morssssselssss to ssssee me is beyond me."

"_Well that's comforting. I sure hope that glass is strong enough to hold her back until Blu comes."_ Jewel thought to herself.

As if the snake had read her mind, Anna asked Jewel something.

"Sssssoo, I heard that Dr. guy, tulo-whatssss it-"

"Tulio. His name is Tulio." Jewel corrected while raising her wing slightly.

"Oh, ok. That Tulio guy wasssss sssssaying that you were a Blu Macaw. Am I correct?" The Anna queried.

"Yes." Jewel simply responded.

"Why?" She added.

"Well, I wassss wondering if there were any more of your, um, no offense, dwindling breed?" The reptile blatantly asked with the skin above her right eye arched.

Jewel questioned that snake's motives, but decided to answer anyway. Besides, it wasn't like that reptile could get out of her cage and somehow open doors and find her and Blu anyway.

"There is only one other like me." Jewel had conflicting feelings about this. While she missed her childhood family greatly, Blu filled and overflowed the hole in her heart with his kindness and humorously clumsiness. Jewel smiled thinking about how cute Blu was when he klutzy.

"Ssssssooo. Thisss 'other one', is he tassst- I mean handsome?" The snake quickly recovered.

Jewel was increasingly becoming uncomfortable with this snake.

"Why did you assume that he was a male?" Jewel inquired with her wings crossed.

"Oh darling, you're sssssoo naive. I can tell by the look in your eyesssss. Ssssoo, how did he trick you into falling for him?" The Anna asked while slithering closer to the glass wall.

"What do you mean by that!?" Jewel retorted with her wings on her hips.

"Ohh, I don't want to offend you. But, I'm ssssory, he couldn't have fallen for your ssssmarts." The snake antagonized.

"Hey! Are you saying I'm stupid?" Jewel interrogated, now quite upset.

"Oh, dear. Did I not make it clear enough for you? Am I sssspeaking to fasssst?" Anna hissed and smiled evilly, knowing that she was getting to Jewel.

"Watch it you! Or else you're going to be sorry!" Jewel growled while clenching her wings like fists and walking towards the edge of her island.

"You know, I'm ssssorry. I sssshouldn't have sssaid that your boyfriend tricked you." Anna Chuckled.

"I'm ssssure you were sssso desperate for a man that he didn't have to. Tell me, how long exactly have you known him?" She probed.

"That's none of your business slimy!" Jewel retaliated, now infuriated and burning with rage.

"Besides, it doesn't matter! I-"

"You what? You love him? You want to sssspend the ressst of your life with him? Do you even know how he feelssss towardssss you? Are you sssure he won't ditch you after he getssss tired of you?" The snake interrogated.

"You little! AHHHHHHHH!" Jewel cried out in outrage as she jumped across the small gap between her island and the bar where the snake's glass cage was located.

"I'm going to kick your butt!" Jewel exclaimed. Her anger intoxicating and clouding her mind from rationality.

* * *

Meanwhile, Blu had just made it back into the aviary and was flying down the halls searching for Jewel.

"_I can't wait to see what Jewel thinks of my gift. Hmm, maybe I should tell her about the dinner I'm planning."_ The macaw thought to himself while soaring though the long corridors, and at the same time looking for another Blu Macaw inside one of them.

"_But if I do, then she won't be surprised. I'm going to have to think about this one."_ He continued pondering his plans, completely unaware of Jewel's current predicament.

* * *

"Oh, you are rich. I'm ssssoooo sssscared. Pleasssse don't hurt me." Anna mocked Jewel and pretended to be afraid by coiling herself and lowering her head.

It was as if an intense fire was ravaging inside Jewel. The infuriated macaw grabbed a tongue depressor from a nearby jar, and used it to open the plastic lid to the glass cage.

Anna wasted no time, and utilized her newly found exit. Before Jewel could realize what had transpired, her entire body was encompassed by the reptile's long, cylindrical, frame.

"Let-me-GO!" Jewel demanded, but to no avail. Her words were simply disregarded by Anna.

"Oh, pity. You are ssssuch a pretty bird." Anna sibilated evilly.

"I haven't had a live bird in a long time. I'm going to ssssavor the flavor." She continued, tightening her grasp on her soon to be dinner.

Jewel groaned in pain as she felt her bones being forced into positions that were extremely unnatural and uncomfortable.

* * *

Blu was beginning to give up hope, and started thinking about somehow finding and asking Tulio where Jewel was. Just as he was about to end his search, Blu noticed something in his peripheral vision. Through the vertical rectangular glass window built into the door, Blu could see the beautiful light blue colored feathers who belonged to none other than his precious Jewel.

"Jewel!" Blu said excitedly! His joy soon turned to fear as he noticed that she was not wrapped up in a blanket, but rather being crushed by a snake.

"JEWEL!" Blu exclaimed in utter horror, and did his best to come to a complete stop. Due to his inexperience, he overshot the door but quickly turned around and landed on the handle of the door behind which he could see Jewel was being slowly crushed by the malicious reptile.

* * *

Jewel began crying. Not because she was in pain, but because she knew that she was never going to see Blu again. She was never going to live her life with him, and she never got to tell him that she l-"

Suddenly the reptile's firm grasp was loosened. Anna uncoiled and Jewel fell onto the table, exhausted from the lack of oxygen. The last thing Anna saw was a male Blu Macaw standing over her, with a small tranquilizer gun in his right talon.

"I guesssss we misssjudged you." Anna hissed one last time before her head collapsed on the table. Blu dropped the tranquilizer and ran over to Jewel. He pushed away some of Anna's body and moved the weak macaw to the side.

"Jewel? Jewel!" Blu shook the unresponsive body a little.

"N-no… Jewel. Please don't leave me." Blu shed a tear.

"Jewel, I, I…"

"Blu?" Jewel mumbled and interrupted Blu, still with her eyes closed and unaware of what was going on.

"Jewel!" Blu exclaimed as he brought her into a hug, never wanting to let her go again.

"Oh, Blu." Jewel said happily and pulled Blu into a long passionate kiss.

Tulio casually walked into the room with a bottle of liquid oral medicine in his left hand.

"Ok Jewel, it's time for your..." Tulio trailed off as he saw something that horrified him.

"Ahhhh!" He shrieked, seeing the Copperhead snake and the two Blue Macaws. He placed the bottle on the island he left Jewel on and hurried over to the snake and the two birds. He quickly shoved Anna back into her glass cage and secured the lid.

"How did she get in here?" Tulio thought out loud in disbelief.

"And how did you get in here?" He continued, and stared at Blu.

Blu and Jewel just ignored him and they finished their kiss.

Tulio, being a trained ornithologist, could tell Jewel was somehow hurt. He picked up the macaw in his hands, and carried her over to a special x-ray machine to ensure there were no broken bones or ruptured organs.

Two hours later, Tulio has just finished his second checkup and decided that jewel was in a stable condition.

"I don't know what happened, but I have the strangest feeling that I have you to thank." Tulio said and smiled warmly while looking at Blu.

"Come on guys. It's been a rough day. Let's get you two back to your room." The bird doctor said and extended his hands to Blu and Jewel could climb into them.

"After you." Blu courteously said, bowed while facing Jewel, and extended his wing towards Tulio.

"Oh, what gentleman." Jewel giggled and hopped into Tulio's hands. Blu was about to join her, but remembered something. He quickly flew over to the other side of the room, and grabbed something from behind a jar. Blu then flew back ad snuggled himself next to Jewel, but made sure that he concealed what he grabbed from the peering eyes of his counterpart.

"What do you have Blu?" Jewel inquired like an eager child, ready to open their Christmas gifts.

"It's a surprise." Blu calmly replied, much to the dissatisfaction of Jewel.

"A surprise? Oh Blu, you know I don't like waiting. Can I see it now? Pleasssseeeee…" Jewel pleaded while batting her eyelashes.

Blu became very nervous as he was still a little uncomfortable around Jewel, and started stuttering.

"W-Well, I-I w-was going to g-give it to you in the artificial j-jungle." Blu managed to explain.

Jewel merely giggled in response.

"Oh Blu, you're so cute when you stutter." Jewel cooed and smiled at Blu.

"Ok, guys." Tulio said while lowering the two lovebird to the artificial jungle's floor so they could get off.

Blu and Jewel hopped out, looked up at the ornithologist, and squawked.

"You're welcome." Tulio replied, knowing that they were appreciative.

After Tulio had left the room, and closed the door behind him, Jewel turned her attention back to Blu.

"Ok Blu. Now what was that surprise all about?" Jewel queried now excited about her surprise.

"Well, it's actually a three part surprise as to extend the fun." Blu explained happily.

"Whatever Blu. What's part one then?" Jewel pressured, now getting tired of waiting.

"Ok, first you need to close your eyes." Blu requested.

Jewel obeyed. Blu pulled out a Pink Orchid and started placing it in Jewel feathery crown.

Jewel giggled as Blu clumsily fiddled with her feathers, trying to get the flower to stay in place.

"There we go. Ok, open your eyes now." Blu said while taking a step back.

Jewel opened her eyes and examined her head by looking at her reflection in a nearby artificial stream. Blu walked up next to her, anxious to hear what she thought of his gift.

"Oh Blu! It's beautiful! Thank you so much!" She ecstatically chirped and gave Blu a hug.

"So, how do I look?" Jewel inquired. She moved back and waked in a circle and gave Blu a profile as she batted her eyelashes.

Blu was so taken back by her beauty, he could only mumble low, indistinguishable utterances. His eyes grew as his body became weak. As if lost in a trance, he just stood there leaning forwards until he fell on his face.

Jewel laughed. _"He's still the same Blu alright. And I wouldn't want him any other way."_ She thought.

* * *

Tulio made his way into his office and fell onto his black leather swivel chair.

"Omph." He grunted as he landed on his chair.

"What a day." Tulio said to himself.

"I wonder how Linda is do…"

"Linda! Our date!" He exclaimed as he realized he forgotten about their date.

The ornithologist darted out of the room, in search of his date.

**Another chapter done! As usual, thanks for reading and review if you can. Question? PM if need be. See you next chapter! Check out my profile for OC character profiles and target release dates. Egilmaster out!**


	10. Chapter 10: Preparation

**Guest Review Responses:**

**Fanfiction guy: Surprise! You never know whats going to happen next. A new adventure is always around the corner, you know? Well, I hope you didn't fall off your chair from siting on the edge. lol. Yeah, bad joke. Anyway, thanks again. I'm glad you are liking my story as much as you are! See you later man!**

**Fanfiction Gal: You don't know how hard it is to capture magic nowadays. Happy to hear you appreciate my magic catching skills. ;) Seriously, I'm really glad you are enjoying my story. Thanks!**

The lanky ornithologist was running down the aviary hallway, hoping that Linda would be at the Aviary entrance. The last time he saw her, she was happily leaving to prepare for their date. Fortunately for Tulio, he managed to find Linda pacing around in the vestibule of the Aviary.

"Linda!" Tulio called out to her.

Hoever, she didn't seem receptive at the moment. What puzzled Tulio even farther was that the Minnesotan didn't look like she was 'ready' for a date. In fact, Linda looked exactly the same as when Tulio last saw her. Tulio walked up next to Linda and attempted communicating again.

"Uh, Linda?" He repeated while holding his left hand on the back of his neck, somewhat uncertain as he didn't know how his date was going to react.

Linda looked up at the bird doctor with her big eyes.

"T-Tulio. I, I can't find Fernando!" She said in fear.

"What? I thought I left him with Sylvio." Tulio responded in disbelief.

"You left him with Sylvio!? Why didn't you tell me!?" Linda exclaimed, now aggravated with Tulio complete lack of forethought.

"Don't you remember what happened last time we left someone important with him?" She continued while intimidatingly encroaching on Tulio's personal space, and getting in his face.

Tulio briefly was lost in Linda's eyes seeing how attractive they looked, despite the fact she was furious.

"B-but he's the best in the business! Last time was just an isolated event. I'm sure they're fine." He nervously explained.

"Come on, let's go check on them." He offered and signaled for Linda to follow.

The two bird lovers headed towards the security room, where they could hear a faint sobbing emanating from behind the door.

"It must have been a really traumatizing past few days for him." Tulio commented and reached for the door knob. As the door opened they saw a dancing Fernando, and a pouting Sylvio. They both had game controllers in their hands. Sylvio, oblivious to his boss's presence, complained.

"I can't believe you beat my high score! It took me 3 weeks of…"

Sylvio finally noticed Tulio standing at the entrance with his arms crossed, apparently upset.

"…of, um, hard security work so I could, um…" The guard tried his best to fudge the truth.

He glanced up and noticed the tv was still showing the game. He quickly grabbed a remote and changed it to the security monitors.

"Listen, I can explain…" He started, but was stopped by Tulio who extended his hand (like a police officer manually directing traffic, and signaling for you to stop).

"I don't want to know." Tulio said and then sighed while lowering his hand.

"Wait." Fernando interjected. The boy walked up to Tulio and looked up at him.

"Dr. Mon-monteiro. Don't be mad at him. I'm the one who saw the console and asked to play. It's not his fault." Fernando explained.

Tulio's expression softened as he kneeled down to Fernando.

"It's ok kid. I told him to take care of you." The ornithologist looked up sternly at Sylvio.

"Just don't use the aviary's equipment when you do." Tulio reverted back to his previous tone and looked at Fernando.

"And you can call me Tulio." He smirked as he ruffled the kid's head.

Linda had to admit, she was impressed with how Tulio managed the situation. That still didn't change the fact that he was still in his lab coat despite the fact that they had a date.

"Ok, you two stay safe." Tulio said while closing the door.

Sylvio just smiled nervously, while Fernando said goodbye.

"Bye Linda, Bye Tulio."

Tulio chuckled as he closed the door. As he turned his head away from the door he saw Linda, who appeared to have an aggravated expression.

"So Tulio, do you mind telling me why you aren't ready for our date?" Linda inquired with her hands on her hips.

"Oh, well you see there was a snake in the checkup room. I don't know where it came from, but it almost ate Jewel."

Linda gasped, cutting off Tulio.

"What? Is she ok?" She nervously queried.

"Yes, she is fine. She and Blu are in their room right now. I actually think Blu saved her somehow, but I'm not sure."

"That's my big brave boy." Linda said. She was relieved that everything was ok.

"Yeah. So do you forgive me? I'm really sorry Linda." Tulio apologized while looking at his love with a sincere face.

"Ok, fine." Linda sighed and looked at a nearby clock.

"Hmmm. It's too late now, but tomorrow you owe me a date. And try not be in that old labcoat. Be sure to wear a new one for me. Ok?" Linda giggled.

Tulio just smiled in response.

"Anything for you Linda."

* * *

Meanwhile, a certain macaw was sitting on the right arm of the Christ the Redeemer statue, looking out over Rio de Janeiro. This macaw was none other than Paris, and he was sorting though some resurrected emotions. He sighed.

"_Why doesn't Blu see it? Whoever this Jewel bird is, she's leading him into a void. Yeah sure for now it's all nice and fun, but he'll see. Blu is going to suffer if someone doesn't stop him."_ Paris thought to himself as he moon gazed. It would have been a beautiful night if it weren't for the dark clouds moving in on the city.

"_Some say it's better to have love and lost than to never have loved at all. It's not true. It's absolutely not true. I wish that stubborn blue macaw would see what I see."_ Then Paris changed his expression from a contemplative one, to a determined one.

"Don't worry Blu. I'll save you." He said to himself as he took flight into the sky. It was too late to do anything now, but tomorrow was another day.

* * *

The next morning inside the Aviary, a special Blue macaw couple were resting inside an artificial tree hollow inside a man-made jungle. Blu and Jewel were sleeping perpendicular to each other. That meant that Jewel was using Blu's stomach as a warm and feathery pillow. She unconsciously nuzzled her head into his feathers, enjoying the warmth. Blu felt the tickling sensation and slowly woke up. He looked down to see his angel smiling in her sleep. For the first time in a while, Blu felt completely content. This was not the same feeling he got when he was living with Linda. It was different in so many ways. Both feelings were great. He loved being with Linda, but he loved being with Jewel so much more. The female macaw opened her eyes and looked up at Blu, who was merely taking in her beauty.

"Good morning Blu." Jewel greeted.

"Good morning Jewel." Blu replied.

After a brief pause, Jewel broke the silence.

"I'm going to be honest Blu. We need a bath." She said while still resting on Blu's soft belly, but had her eyes directed at Blu.

"Yeah, I guess so. I'll ask Linda to clean us next time I see her." Blu said calmly, believing he had just provided a simple answer to their small predicament.

"Uh, Blu? You don't clean yourself?" Jewel inquired.

Blu put a wingtip to his chin, trying to think.

"Well, I did use the bird bath in the summer. But it was more for fun than cleaning." Blu explained and shrugged a little.

"I guess I never learned how." He concluded.

Jewel smirked a little and moved over to her lovehawk. She grabbed his wing in her good one, and looked at him with a kind face.

"I'll show you then."

Blu's eyes dilated when he heard this.

"Uh, n-now? You know, I-I think I should get more practice flying. Yeah, I still need to prepare your surprise." Blu started inching his way towards the hollow entrance, but Jewel still had a firm grip on his wing.

"Oh no you don't Blu. We are going to get clean, and you are gonna learn one way or another." Jewel insisted as she put on a stern face.

Blu rubbed his neck with his free wing.

"B-but Jewel. You can't let water get on your wing. You can run the risk of infection that way." Blu countered in his typical nerdy fashion.

"Oh come on Blu, do you really think they would give us dirty water." She countered.

"I'm just going to show you how to touch up the feathers on your wings. The rest should come naturally. Your days of being pampered are over." She mandated while pulling the unwilling Blu down the wooden plank towards the artificial stream.

"Ohhhhh." Blu moaned as they reached the water.

"What is it now?" Jewel asked, now irritated at Blu's constant flow of problems.

"It looks cold." He whined while shuddering at the sight of the water.

"And it doesn't have any bubbles." He added.

"Oh Blu. You have a lot to learn before we head back into the wild." Jewel sighed.

She walked up the water's edge.

"Now, watch what I do." Jewel instructed while pointing to herself.

She leaned down and scooped some water up in her beak. The blue macaw then proceeded to pour it over her good wing to demonstrate proper cleaning. After that, she looked up at Blu.

"Now you just need to preen yourself. It's easy. Just run your beak over your feathers, and the rest should come naturally." Jewel said before continuing to preen herself.

After she was done, Jewel looked back at Blu.

"Done. See how nice it looks?" She inquired while showing off her freshly preened wing to Blu.

Blu had to admit, it did look nice. And the way her feathers shined made Jewel look even more beautiful. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

"Your turn Blu." Jewel said while stepping out of the way and extending her wing towards the stream.

"Ok, I think I got it." Blu replied and put on a determined face.

Blu walked over to the water and looked down at his reflection.

"Ok Blu, you can do this. It's easy. If you can lean aerodynamics, then you can-"

"You know I can hear you, right?" Jewel interjected.

"Oh, hehe." Blu nervously chuckled.

"Just a little positive reinforcement. That's all." He explained.

"Blu, you don't need reinforcement. It's just pouring water over your feathers." Jewel replied with her wings at her hips.

Blu turned back to the water and dipped his beak into the stream. He then continued to pour the water over his right wing.

"This is freezing!" Blu said and shivered a little.

"How come you aren't cold?" He whined to Jewel.

"Blu." Jewel said sternly.

Blu sighed and proceeded to attempt to preen himself. He clumsily rubbed the side of his beak over his feathers, but was stopped by Jewels voice.

"No Blu, you're doing it wrong." She cut in and walked over to Blu.

"I thought you said this would be natural. So far it's really really hard, and freezing cold." He complained.

Jewel just sighed and shook her head.

"Here, let me show you."

Jewel continued to preen Blu's wing for him.

"See?" Jewel asked, but looked up only to see Blu laughing.

"Hahaha that tickles Jewel!" Blu laughed.

Jewel stopped, but then noticed there was in interesting flavor in her mouth.

She licked her beak and took in the taste.

"Hey Blu, you taste…sweet." She giggled.

"Oh, well I think I dropped some blackberry on my wing when I met up with Nico and Pedro." Blu explained.

He gazed into Jewel's beautiful eyes.

"You know, I could go for some more. It was a really good berry." Blu said without loosing eye contact.

"Well, I don't want to be selfish." Jewel replied.

The two lovebirds leaned in to a kiss for a minute.

Blu leaned back and licked his beak after they had finished.

"Yum." He said with his eyes closed.

"Does the blackberry taste as good the second time?" Jewel giggled.

Blu opened his eyes and smiled while looking at Jewel.

"I actually couldn't taste it. No flavor in the world is strong enough to overcome you Jewel." Blu happily answered.

"Awwww." Jewel cooed as they went in for another kiss.

* * *

Later that day, Blu decided to go out and leave Jewel to fully clean herself while he set up the surprise for her. Blu, using his intelligence, managed to pry open the vent Jewel was working on when her first met her using a sturdy stick (artificial of course) and leverage. He managed to find the external vent to the aviary, and swung it open. It was all rusty and decrepit.

"Man, this place is OSHA's worst nightmare. I'm glad Linda gave me a tetanus vaccine." Blu said to himself.

Blu took off through the vent, headed towards the samba club.

After a few minutes of flying, he arrived at the samba club to find Rafael, Nico, and Pedro right where he left them the previous day. Rafael was leaning on a crate with a drink in his wing, while Nico and Pedro were over at the bar. This time, Pedro was bar-tending.

"_Don't they go anywhere else?"_ Blu thought to himself, but didn't really mind as it made finding them very easy.

"Hey Blu!" Rafael greeted while waving to his amigo.

"Yo, what up bird?" Pedro added.

"Hey Blu. How's things going?" Nico asked as he spun his bottle cap on his right wing. He continued to roll along his wing up to his shoulder, where he bumped it into midair. The bottle cap landed perfectly on his head.

"Hey guys. I'm doing fine." Blu replied as he made it to the three amigos.

"You look like you need something. What can we do you for?" Nico queried while leaning against the bar.

"Well actually, remember when you said I should set up a dinner for Jewel?" Blu asked with the feathers around his right eye arched.

"Yeah, what about it?" Pedro replied, quite engrossed in creating the perfect juice drink mix.

"Oh, come on amigo. Blu needs some help." Rafael said like it was obvious as he walked over to Nico and Pedro.

"You know, to woo the lady?" He added and nudged Nico.

The two birds started chuckling.

Blu was a little uncomfortable, but decided to intervene before anything escalated.

"So, can you?" Blu asked while nervously twiddling his wingtips.

The three samba birds merely looked at each other and nodded at the same time. Rafael then looked at Blu and smiled.

"Of course we can amigo. Did you have anything special in mind?" The toucan inquired.

Blu smiled as he knew exactly what he wanted in order to make the perfect surprise for his precious Jewel.

**And that's a wrap! As usual, thanks for reading and reviewing! This part actually became so long, I had to split it up into two separate entities. As a result, a new chapter was born. So the **_**Double Date**_** chapter is going to have to wait until next time. Thank you for your support. Without you guys, I wouldn't be as far as I am now. Until next update, EgilMaster out!**


	11. Chapter 11: Double Date

**Sorry for the delay in my normal update schedule, but I was very busy. But now that everything is settling down, let's get to work!**

**Fanfiction guy: Yeah, it's funny to see the nerdy side come out. Thanks for your ideas, I'll keep them in mind. Enjoy this next chapter!**

After almost a whole day of preparation, it was now evening. The sun was setting over Rio. This gave a romantic atmosphere that encompassed the entire area like a warm blanket resting over the city.

"Ok amigo. I think that does it." Rafael said proudly as he finished moving a small crate.

"Yeah Blu, you should go get hot wing." Nico added and winked at Blu.

"O-Ok." Blu nervously replied while rubbing his wings, similar to how people rub their wrists when afraid.

Blu took a deep breath and took off, headed back towards the Aviary.

"Don't worry Blu, everything's going to be fine." Rafael called out while cupping his left wing around his beak in order to extend the distance of his voice so Blu could hear.

"Ohhhh, I wish you would tell my stomach that." Blu worriedly said to himself while flying away.

What neither Blu nor the samba birds knew was that a mysterious figure was spying on them from a nearby rooftop.

"Hehe. Looks like our little friends are gonna have a nice evening together. Well, not for long. Those mugs won't know what hit 'em." He smiled evilly while rubbing his wings together.

* * *

Meanwhile, Linda and Tulio finally managed to go out on their date. Well, almost. Linda was standing outside her hotel, waiting for Tulio to come pick her up.

"_What's taking him so long?"_ She thought while crossing her arms.

Suddenly a red jeep pulled up, with the driver being none other than Tulio. He tilted his head down and looked over the rim of his rectangular glasses.

"Need a ride?" He said deeply, mimicking a tough guy voice.

Linda merely laughed in response.

"Oh Tulio, you sure know how to make a girl laugh." She replied.

"Yeah, I guess." Tulio replied while rubbing his neck and exiting the jeep.

He made his way over to the passenger side door and opened it for his date.

"After you." He said while bowing a little.

"A gentleman now, are we?" Linda playfully teased.

"Well thank you sir." She added as she walked towards the open door and got into the jeep.

Tulio closed the door for her and hurried over to the driver's side. After they were buckled in, Tulio started driving towards the restaurant he planned to take Linda to.

"So Tulio, where are going?" Linda inquired and looked at her date.

"Oh, well I thought it would be nice to go to the place where we first had dinner together; The Churrascaria!" He happily replied and smiled while he spoke. (Tulio made sure to keep his eyes fixed on the road though)

* * *

Blu had finally made it back to the aviary, and started making his way through the ventilation system.

"Ok. Planning, check. Bath?" Blu smelt his wing, but quickly recoiled after realizing he smelt horrible from a long day's work.

"Ewww, not check." He wheezed.

Blu made it back to his and Jewel's room, and decided to give the whole bath thing another shot. He flew down to the man-made stream and looked down at the flowing water.

"Ok, this is for Jewel." He said trying to motivate himself as he leaned down towards the water.

"What is for me?" A voice rang from behind Blu. Blu unfortunately jumped in surprise and clumsily fell into the shallow water.

"Waaaa!" He yelled as he splashed into the water. Blu popped back out a second later with his eyes wide open. He coughed a little in an attempt to expel some water that went down the wrong pipe. He was soaking wet and water dripped off of him. All of his normally puffy feathers were now pressed down.

"Well, I guess that's one…way….to…whoa" Blu trailed off as he saw Jewel standing above him. The rays of light emanated from behind her and sparkled off her freshly cleaned feathers. She also had the Pink Orchid Blu had given her earlier in her feathery crown.

Blu shook his head to clear his thoughts, and did his best not to look at Jewel until he was out of the stream. He used his beak to pull himself out from the water and onto the concrete. He then continued to brush off the excess water with his wings, not even bothering to use the traditional method of using his beak.

"Sorry Blu, I didn't mean to scare you like that." Jewel apologized while chuckling a little, finding Blu to be cute when he was his klutzy self.

"Oh don't worry Jew-whoops" Blu shipped on the puddle of water he made while walking over to Jewel.

"Yep, that's my Blu." Jewel sighed and lovingly looked at Blu, who was trying to recover from his fall.

Blu pushed himself up with his wings and looked at Jewel.

"Hehe."

* * *

Back with the human couple, the two bird lovers had just parked the jeep and Tulio was escorting Linda to the Churrascaria.

"Well, here we are…again." Tulio announced while pushing the entrance door open for Linda.

They made their way to the receptionist.

"How can I help you today sir?" The man greeted.

Tulio walked up with Linda.

"Reservation for Tulio." The ornithologist replied.

The receptionist looked though a list until he found the name he was looking for.

"Ah, Dr. Monteiro it's a pleasure to have with dine with us tonight." The man replied.

"This way please." He continued while walking away towards a staircase in the back of the restaurant.

Tulio and Linda simply followed the man up the stairs, where they were greeted with a wonderful view of the city of Rio. There was a private open air seating area on the roof, and the setting sun only added to the beauty.

After the two were seated, Linda sighed happily while looking out over the city.

"Wow, this is so beautiful." She said while gazing out at the view.

"Yes, you are." Tulio said to himself while dreamily looking at Linda.

* * *

The two lovebirds were walking through the vent towards the outside world. Blu had leaned the wooden plank Tulio gave them up against the wall so Jewel could get into the vent.

"Wow Blu, this is sooo exciting! I haven't been outside in days." Jewel enthusiastically squealed.

She took a deep breath and allowed the fresh air from outside to fill her lungs.

"Ahhhh…" She exhaled.

The two birds made it to the exit and stood on the ledge for a moment. Blu looked next to him and saw Jewel smiling happily with the breeze brushing against her feathers.

Blu joined Jewel and took a deep (deep for him anyway) breath and closed his eyes.

The two macaws stood there for a moment until Jewel broke the silence.

"Hey Blu, um, how are we going to travel. I'm not exactly in any condition to fly right now, and I really don't want you to have to carry me everywhere either."

Blu just smiled, flew above Jewel, and gently grabbed her in his talons. He carefully descended down to the ground and, after placing Jewel down, he landed next to her.

"No need to worry. Transportation had already been arranged." Blu said, answering Jewel's question.

Suddenly, the sound of running could be heard from the distance. It sounded like a four legged animal. Out of nowhere Luiz, a friend of the birds who happens to be a bulldog, came darting around the corner from behind the aviary.

"Hey! Whats up birds? Luiz asked while getting into an excited stance (this was him lowering his body as his legs spread out).

"You seriously don't mean..." Jewel trailed off, remembering her last encounter with this drooling dog.

"Hey, don't worry. I just had a treatment for my medical condition. You won't get wet on this ride." He proudly said trying to persuade Jewel.

"Come on Jewel, it won't be for long. Pleeeeaaasseeee!" Blu begged and gave Jewel the puppy eyes. Luiz joined Blu and gave Jewel puppy eyes too.

"Ok fine." She conceded and threw her wings up in the air.

"But I better not get drooled on!" She added while sternly pointing a wingtip to Luiz.

"Yes!" The bulldog exclaimed.

* * *

After a short ride, which felt like an eternity to Jewel, the lovebirds and the bulldog arrived at a trolley station.

"Ok, last stop for the Luiz express! Toot toot!" Luiz happily said and pumped his paw like he was pulling a train whistle chain.

Blu and Jewel jumped off.

"Thank you." Blu thanked Luiz.

"No problem birds. Hope you have a spitacular time!" He said while running away.

Blu chuckled a little and turned back toward Jewel. She looked a little upset from the ride. She was rocking back and forth and was staring at the ground.

"A-are you ok Jewel?" Blu inquired, genuinely concerned for his angel.

"Yeah. I'm ok." Jewel replied as she shook off her dizziness.

"Just promise me we won't do THAT again." She finished.

"Don't worry Jewel, I promise." Blu warmly responded and put a wing around Jewel.

Jewel nuzzled his wing. Surprisingly, she actually felt a lot better now.

A moment later, an empty trolley pulled up next to the two lovebirds.

"Ok, are you ready?" Blu asked and looked at Jewel.

"Yeah." She sighed happily and moved out from under Blu's wing.

Blu then gently grabbed Jewel in his talons, and flew up to the top of the trolley where he rested himself and Jewel down.

"After you." Blu said and extended his left wing to signal for Jewel to go first.

Jewel giggled. "What a gentlebird."

Blu followed Jewel the front of the trolley. They both sat on the ledge with their talons hanging over the end.

As their ride started moving, the two birds took in the beauty of Rio.

Blu turned his head around and looked behind him. He winked to someone and continued to look forward.

"Ok, that our cue!" A red crested cardinal whispered to his friends.

"Let's go amigo!" A toucan replied.

"Nico, you got this buddy." The cardinal said to a yellow canary and put his wing on the canary's shoulder.

Nico took a deep breath and exhaled nervously.

"Ok Pedro, work the accompaniment." He instructed.

"On it." Pedro replied.

Nico squinted his eyes and put on a determined face.

"Let's do this."

Suddenly, the sound of a gentle strumming hit the lovebirds' eardrums. Blu smiled, knowing that one of his plans was working well for once.

"_Phase two, check."_ Blu thought to himself.

Nico started whistling his famous tune, and prepared to sing.

_Wasn't really thinking, wasn't looking, wasn't searching for an answer_

_In the moonlight_

_When I saw your face_

Blu scooted a little closer to his precious Jewel, and joined her in watching the sunset.

_Saw you looking at me, saw you peeking, out from under moon beams_

_Through the palm trees_

_Swaying in the breeze_

"Wow, this so beautiful." Jewel sighed in contentment.

She turned her head to the right and looked lovingly at Blu.

"Thank you for doing this. I can't imagine the trouble you went to." Jewel cooed.

"Oh, it was nothing. I just needed to find the time chart and make sure we were here when it came." Blu replied while happily gazing at Jewel.

"I would do anything for you Jewel. You know that, right?" He softly said.

"Of course I do Blu. And I would do anything for you." Jewel answered and nuzzled her head into Blu's wing.

_I know I'm feeling so much more_

_Than ever before _

_And so I'm giving more to you_

_Than I thought I could do_

_Don't know how it happened _

_Don't know why but you don't really need a reason_

_When the stars shine _

_Just to fall in love_

Rafael was flying next to the trolley. He looked up at Blu, eagerly awaiting the signal. The blue macaw peered over the edge and nodded his head. Rafael smiled and darted ahead.

_Made to love each other, made to be together_

_For a life time_

_In the sunshine_

_Flying in the sky_

_I know I'm feeling so much more _

_Than ever before_

_And so I'm giving more to you_

_Than I thought I could do, oh_

The toucan flew like a rocket, and shot through the leaves of some nearby pink trumpet trees. The pink petals danced in the air as they gracefully descended towards the ground.

_Now I know love is real _

_So when sky high, as the angels try_

_Leaving you and I, fly love._

As the canary finished his song, Blu looked down at Jewel.

"Jewel?" Blu said with a nervous yet inquisitive tone.

"Hmmmm?" Jewel hummed in response, relaxing in Blu's warmth.

"Um, well, t-there's kind of something I wanted to s-say to you." Blu said stuttering a little.

Jewel stopped leaning on Blu and returned to an upright posture.

"What is Blu?" Jewel excitedly asked, hoping she knew what he was going to say.

"Well, I've been wanting to tell you this since we danced together at the club but I never had the chance."

Jewel's heart started racing. Could this be it? Will Blu finally unequivocally confess his feelings to her? She could only wait as her socially awkward lovehawk tried to find the words.

Blu took a deep breath.

"When I first came here, all I wanted to do was go back to Minnesota. But while we were chained together, I experienced things that I never had before. Like what it's like to feel the air on your feathers, or what it's like to dance. I even found feelings I never felt before. And there is one that only you gave me. After our adventure together, I realized that, well…Jewel…I, I, I – waaa!" The trolley came to an abrupt stop and flung the unprepared blue macaw off where he was perched.

"Omph!" Blu grunted as he slammed onto the ground.

"That's my boy." Rafael said sarcastically while covering his face with his right wing.

"_Oh well. So much for that."_ Jewel thought to herself as she watched Blu dusting himself off.

"_Oh well, so much for that."_ Blu thought to himself.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid." He hit his beak with his talon repeatedly with each word he spoke.

After a few seconds, Blu decided he would try again later and flew up back to Jewel.

The blue macaw was surprised to not only see Jewel, but a Roseate Spoonbill as well.

"Hey Blu, hey Jewel!" Kipo the Spoonbill greeted.

"Hello." Blu replied while waving his left wing.

"It's nice to see you again." Jewel added.

"Wow, you two look nice. What's this all about?" He asked, even though he knew quite well what was happening.

Blu motioned for Kipo to come closer. The Spoonbill lowered his head, accompanied by his enormous bill which almost knocked Blu over, down to the macaw's level.

"Is everything ready?" Blu whispered, not wanting Jewel to hear.

"Yep, everything is all set buddy." He replied with a wing to the side of his face opposite to that of Blu in an attempt to block any sound from reaching Jewel.

"Ok, cool." Blu happily smiled in response.

Kipo stood back up to his normal height with his wings to his sides and spoke louder so both blue macaws could hear.

"It was nice seeing you guys, but I need to be off. Bye amigos!" Kipo bid farewell as he flew off into the distance.

The two lovebirds watched as the pink spoonbill departed. Once he was far enough, Jewel turned to Blu with a questioning face and her wings crossed.

"Ok Blu, what was that about?"

Blu nervously rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled.

"Hehe, well, uh, hey look at that!" Blu pointed to a nearby rooftop which was overlooking the ocean. It had a small table with two miniature candles and chairs which the perfect size for macaws.

Jewel gasped.

"Blu, i-its beautiful!"

Blu secured Jewel in his talons once more and flew both of them to the nearby table.

After they landed, Blu pulled out the small chair as to let Jewel sit in it. Once she was comfortable in the seat, Blu pushed the chair forwards a little. Blu walked over to the opposite side of the small table and sat himself down in the other chair.

"_Phase three, check."_ The male macaw happily thought, now relieved that the final part to his surprise was underway.

* * *

Meanwhile, Linda and Tulio were enjoying their date.

Tulio was eating the tofu chicken hearts he ordered, but became concerned when he heard a light sniffling coming from across the table. Tulio looked up to see Linda's eyes were watery, and she was wiping away a tear.

"Linda? What's that matter?" Tulio softly inquired.

The fair skinned woman look up at her date and sniffed once before answering.

"It just that I, I'm going to miss Blu!" She then started bawling and put her head in her hands.

Tulio immediately moved his chair over to be next to Linda, and put an arm around her.

"Linda, Linda. Don't worry. We can work something out." Tulio tried to comfort her, but to no avail.

"How? I can't take Blu back to Minnesota! He's happy here. He is with Jewel. I couldn't separate them just to have Blu." She cried in despair while smothering her face into Tulio's shirt.

"Well, maybe…maybe you" He paused. Tulio knew it was the right time so say something. If he didn't, he may never see Linda again.

"Linda. I need to tell you something." Linda looked up at Tulio with her big eyes that there now pink from irritation.

Tulio held Linda's hands in his and started intently into her eyes.

"Even though I've only known you for a little while, it feels like it's been years. I have never met anyone like you, Linda." Tulio took a deep breath.

"I know this is sudden, but I want you to know that…Linda I want you stay here in Rio."

"W-what?" Linda asked shocked and unprepared.

"Linda, I-" Tulio left his mouth open for a second. No words were coming out as he was almost paralyzed with fear. Tulio tried to get his diaphragm unlocked.

"I love you." He finished, feeling relieved to have it off his chest.

Linda was quiet for a moment.

"Oh Tulio! I love you too!"

The unlikely couple hugged each other, never wanting this moment to end.

* * *

Blu and Jewel were enjoying their dinner together. Blu was eating a delicious blackberry, while Jewel was feasting on a mango slice.

Jewel looked up and took in the majesty of the view. The moon reflected over the ocean, and the gleaming light bounced across the nearby landscape.

"Isn't this amazing Blu?" Jewel asked while staring off into the distance.

"Next you Jewel, it's nothing." Blu commented.

Jewel looked back at Blu and cooed.

"Hmm, there was something important I needed to tell you." Jewel playfully pretended to think while tapping a wingtip on her beak.

"Oh, yeah. Wasn't something you wanted to tell me Blu?" Jewel reminded him.

* * *

From a nearby bush Nico, Pedro, Rafael, Luiz, and Kipo watched the two lovebirds.

"There he goes." Rafael said excitedly.

"Ohh, I'm so excited I just want to bite their heads off right now!" Luiz said in a yelling whisper.

All of the birds sidestepped to the left, leaving the bulldog standing by himself.

"I-I mean metaphorically. Hehe." The dog tried to recover.

The attention was directed away from Luiz when Kipo pointed towards the sky.

"Hey, who's that?" The spoonbill inquired.

"Oh, that just Paris." Pedro calmly answered.

There was a moment of silence.

"PARIS!?"

* * *

"Jewel, what I've been wanting to tell you is that, I L-"

"STOP!" A voice called out.

"Oh come on!" Jewel angrily yelled out, and stood up from her chair. She turned around to see who was interrupting Blu.

"Whoever said that isn't going to be talking much longer!" She threatened.

A Macaw dive-bombed down and pinned Jewel to the ground with his right talon.

"I am NOT going to let your kind ruin another bird!" Paris screamed at Jewel.

Blu had enough of this nonsense. He charged at Paris and knocked him off balance. The two male macaws collapse on the ground.

"What was that for!? I'm trying to save you!" Paris retorted, getting back up on his talons.

Blu quickly followed him in getting up.

"Save me? From who!?" Blu interrogated with his wings clenched.

"From her!" Pairs answered and pointed at Jewel.

"From me!?" Jewel exclaimed and walked up to Paris.

"We need someone to save us from you!" She added while pointing a wingtip on his chest.

Paris's eyes burned with fire.

"It's because of women like you, my life is ruined!" He bellowed.

"What do you have against me and Jewel being together Paris!?" Blu asked, now quite enraged.

"It's not that he's mad you found love." A familiar voice resounded in the eardrums of the macaws.

Everyone looked up to see Nico standing in front of the macaws.

"Nico, don't you dare!" Paris threatened and gave the small canary a death stare.

"I'm sorry Paris, but they need to know." The canary calmly replied.

"Nico!" Paris snapped.

"It's not that he's mad you found love Blu, it's because he can't!" Nico said.

Paris growled under his breath.

"What do you mean? There has to be another scarlet macaw out there for him. Me and Jewel are together and we are the last Blu Macaws." Blu stated.

Paris sighed in defeat.

"There was only one bird for me, but now she's gone." Pairis explained, now willing to reveal his story.

"Guys, I'm not a scarlet macaw. I'm a Cuban red macaw."

Blu's eyes shot wide open with shock. He stuttered as he came to an unexpected realization.

"B-but you're s-supposed to be…extinct."

**Whew! That was a pretty big chapter, eh? It is actually the longest one yet! Once again, sorry for the delay. I'm back now and I hope this longer chapter made up for it. As usual let me know what you think in the review section. See you next time and happy reading!**


	12. Chapter 12: Paris's Story

**Fanfiction guy: Wonder what his story is? Well here you go! Don't worry, Jewel is going to know in the end. Thanks for your continued support man, you are awesome! **

_Recap:_

"_Guys, I'm not a scarlet macaw. There was only one other one like me, but now she's gone." Pairis explained, now willing to reveal his story._

"_I'm a Cuban red macaw."_

_Blu's eyes shot wide open with shock. He stuttered as he came to an unexpected realization._

"_B-but you're s-supposed to be…extinct."_

Paris looked despairingly down at his talons.

"I might as well be extinct." He mumbled.

"Hey Nico, why don't you help the guys with that box of fireworks they're pushing."

Blu flinched. He planned to have a few fireworks go off, as the icing on the cake, but if Jewel found out it would ruin the surprise.

"_Fireworks?"_ Jewel thought to herself.

In an attempt to quickly change the subject, Blu questioned Paris.

"So Paris, why did you lie to me?" Blu asked as the sound of Nico's flapping was heard in the background.

"I-I guess I thought that if I denied the past, maybe I could forget it. Maybe I could feel better. But that's not going to happen now." He sighed while closing his watery eyes, probably to prevent anyone from seeing him like that.

"Paris, listen, if you want to talk about it…" Jewel offered with a genuine expression.

"Maybe I should. I haven't even told Nico the entire story. If anyone can understand what it's like to be alone as the last of your kind, then it's you guys." Paris replied.

He then had a serious face.

"It happened four years ago, right here in Rio…"

**4 years ago**

A certain Cuban red macaw was flying over the vast jungle of Rio. He felt one with the air he flew though the sky. His spirit soared and his heart was light. Today was a special day for this bird. Today he finally was going to devote himself to the love of his life. He was going to ask her to if she wanted to start a family with him. The macaw named Paris performed aerial acrobatics as he sang his favorite tune.

_Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk,_

_I'm a woman's man: no time to talk._

_Music loud and women warm, I've been kicked around_

_Since I was born._

_And now it's all right. It's OK._

_And you may look the other way._

_We can try to understand_

_The New York Times' effect on man._

Paris built up speed flying vertically, and then stopped and started falling towards the earth. He free-fell for 15 seconds, and then pulled up and shot over the jungle canopies. The macaw continued to sing his song.

_Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother,_

_You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive._

_Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin',_

_And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive._

_Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive._

_Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive._

Some scarlet macaws flew next to Paris and joined in on the song. They joyously flew around having the time of their lives.

_Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk,_

_I'm a woman's man: no time to talk._

_Music loud and women warm,_

_I've been kicked around since I was born._

_And now it's all right. It's OK._

_And you may look the other way._

_We can try to understand_

_The New York Times' effect on man._

Paris and the other macaws following him flew below the jungle canopy and attracted the attention of the ground animals. Various natives such as monkeys, turtles, and other small mammals sang along.

_Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother,_

_You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive._

_Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin',_

_And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive._

_Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive._

_Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive._

Paris landed on the branch leading to the tree hollow of a female Cuban red macaw. The animals finished the song while Paris entered the tree.

_Life goin' nowhere. Somebody help me._

_Somebody help me, yeah._

_Life goin' nowhere. Somebody help me, yeah._

_Stayin' alive._

"Hey gorgeous, how's my beautiful Helen doing today?" Pairs asked while walking behind her and wrapping his around the female macaw.

"O-oh, h-hi Paris." She nervously replied.

Paris was confused about the way she reacted. Normally, she loved it when he hugged her.

"Is that the way you greet your lovehawk?" Paris playfully teased before pecking her on the cheek.

Helen turned her head towards Paris and looked at him with fearful eyes. Paris saw this and grew concerned.

"Hey honey, what's the matter?" He inquired while letting go of Helen to let her turn around and face him.

"Oh, n-nothing. I just wasn't expecting anyone. That's all." Helen said while faking a smile.

Paris took her word for it and decided to drop the conversation. Besides, he had something to tell her that he knew would cheer Helen up.

Paris stood directly in front of Helen and held both of her wings in his.

"Helen." He said calmly, with genuine affection in his voice.

Helen just looked up into his eyes. Something told her this wasn't going to end well.

"We've been together for a while now and, well, what I'm trying to say is whenever I'm with you…I feel happy." Paris stared intently into Helen's eyes.

"I feel..I feel warmth, and pure joy. I've come to love everything about you. The way your feathers ruffle when you laugh, or the way your eyes shine in the moonlight, it, it comforts me. I never felt like this before." He confessed while running his right wing over the side of her face.

"I never felt like this about anyone before. What I'm trying to say is…Helen, I love you. And, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Helen was in complete shock. This couldn't be happening. Paris started tearing up.

"I want…I want to start a family and be with you forever Helen."

Helen stood there with her beak open, finding it difficult to comprehend what just happened.

"P-Paris. I-I, I can't…" Helen replied while backing away from Paris, a little ashamed.

"What?" The male macaw said in disbelief.

"But what about everything we've been through? What about us?" Paris asked. His entire body felt like it was made of jelly. He felt weak. He felt betrayed.

"Listen Paris, I don't want this to be any harder than it has to be. Please, just go. I'm sorry." Helen replied while turning away and crying.

Paris was in denial. Helen had not indicated at all that she felt this way. If anything, it was quite to the contrary.

"But what about yesterday? Remember we were watching the ocean? And you said-"

"PARIS! I DON'T CARE WHAT I SAID!" Helen yelled at him with tears flowing out of her eyes.

"Then why! Did you just want to a fool out of me!? We are the last of our kind Helen! Do you just want to let our species die?" Paris retaliated. He had his wings clenched at his side, and the feather on the back of his neck were puffed up.

"Our kind, our kind! I don't care Paris! I am not going to sacrifice MY life just so our stupid species can continue!" Helen yelled. She looked tired, and mentally and emotionally exhausted.

"What? Are you saying that you pretended to love me just so our kind wouldn't die!?" The male macaw, now infuriated, sarcastically retorted.

"Maybe I did." Helen simply said. The tears had started drying, leaving the feathers around her face with a thin film.

Paris took a step back. He lost all of his rage. He simply stood there and stared the female macaw.

Not a word was spoken for an entire minute. Then, Paris turned around and walked out onto the branch outside the tree hollow.

Paris looked back one last time to see Helen.

"Well I didn't."

Paris said. He dropped a piece of paper on the ground before flying away.

After a few moments had past, Helen walked up to where Paris was once standing.

On the border between the hollow and the branch was a photo. Helen picked it up with her wings. The photo was of Paris and Helen when they snuck into a photo booth in Rio. Helen sighed, and walked into the recess of her tree.

**Current Time**

"I went back to her hollow every day for the next four months, but she was never there." Paris concluded. He sniffed and crossed his wings.

"That's my story." He said with no infliction in his voice.

Blu and Jewel stood there, shocked, amazed at what Paris had gone through.

Blu was about to say something, but was cut off by a nerve-racking voice.

"Oh, how sssad. Does little Parisssss have love issssssuessss?

**Uh oh, looks like this isn't going to get any easier. Next chapter hopefully coming within 48 hours. See you then!**


	13. Chapter 13: Tensssse Moment

**Guest Review Responses:**

**Fanfiction guy: Yeah, it was quite tragic. Paris wasn't really that fortunate with love. The story will be sticking to the original plot (more so than recently) as things start to wind down now. As usual, thanks for your review and happy reading!**

The three birds stood there in shock, paralyzed in fear.

"Whatssss the matter? Ssssnake got your beak?" Anna hissed.

Paris was the first one with a comeback.

"What do you want snake?" Paris growled.

"Oh, I don't want much. I just need a blue macaw, thatssss all." She calmly replied while slithering a little closer.

"In your little snake dreams." Jewel said before spitting at the snake.

"Yeah." Blu said in agreement. He tried to copy Jewel, but the spit just ended up on his chest.

"Ewww." He whined while rubbing the saliva off with his wings.

A dark laugh was heard from within the shadows behind Anna.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice."

A red fronted macaw said deviously while walking out of the darkness.

Blu, Jewel, and Paris gasped when they saw what the macaw was gripping in his talon.

"Nico! Let him go you coward!" Paris exclaimed with outrage while pointing a wingtip at the red fronted macaw. Nico couldn't speak because the macaw had a firm grip around his throat.

"Hmmm, let me see, let me see. I have something of you want, and you have something I want." The macaw replied while tapping a wingtip to his chin.

"Oh, I know. How about a trade? One of your macaws for little tweety here." He offered and smiled evilly.

"Heh, how stupid do you think-"

"Deal" Blu said, interrupting Paris.

"DEAL!?" Paris and Jewel exclaimed in disbelief.

Blu turned to look at Jewel.

"Jewel, these past few days have been the best in my life. If I had to do it all again, I wouldn't change anything. Being with you is worth anything."

Jewel started tearing up. She couldn't help but hug Blu and cry into his chest.

Blu merely smiled and whispered to her.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way. I really wanted this evening to out _with a bang_. I had _fireworks_ and everything. I have to admit though, they always scared me when Linda took me to see them when I was little. I was always afraid they would _hit the house_."

Jewel picked up on what Blu was eluding to. She looked up at him with eyes that were still a bit watery.

"I want you to be safe Jewel. Get _away_ from here." Blu added while discretely signaling in a direction.

Paris just stood there in confusion.

"Wha- Blu you can't do this! There has to be another way!" The Cuban macaw argued.

"You know we are right here." Anna interjected. Blu and Paris just ignored her.

"No Paris, _this_ is the only way." Blu replied and gave him a look which meant something.

Paris had no idea what was going on.

"Jewel, Paris. I want you guys to go. You don't need to see this."

Even though Jewel had confidence in Blu's plan, as he was the smartest bird she knew, she couldn't help but be sad.

"Oh Blu!" Jewel pushed her beak into his. The two lovebirds enjoyed a brief, yet meaningful kiss.

Blu then walked towards Anna and the red fronted macaw.

"Ok, a deals a deal. Let Nico go." Blu demanded.

"Enjoy." The macaw replied, and chucked the almost unconscious canary towards Jewel and Paris.

"Ohhhh." Nico moaned from the floor.

Anna quickly slithered around Blu and held him tight while coiling around him.

"You are sssuch a brave bird. Now I undersssstand what your girlfriend ssseessss in you." She hissed.

"To bad there won't be nothin' to see soon." The red fronted macaw chucked.

"Ugh…Paris….Jewel….get out….of here." Blu managed to cough out as Anna stated squeezing the life out of him.

"Hey! We don't want to kill him!" The red fronted macaw shouted at Anna.

"Hmph, fine. Vinny, you are ssssuch a killjoy." Anna conceded while loosening her grip on Blu a little.

"You three better get out of here before I start feelin' a little less nice." Vinny said, not irritated by the three birds' presence.

"Paris, we got to go." Jewel said sternly.

Paris stood there with his eyes closed.

"No." He simply stated.

"_Oh no. He doesn't get it."_ Jewel thought to herself.

"You may be willing to abandon Blu, but I'm not."

"AHHHHHHH!" Paris screamed as he ran towards Vinny and Anna with his wings curled.

"Oh boy, a fighter." Vinny smiled evilly as he got into a fighting stance.

Jewel took this moment to grab Nico, and took off towards the shoreline by taking a conveniently placed staircase that was on the rooftop.

* * *

"So when did Luiz and Kipo say they would be back with da matches?" Pedro asked Rafael.

"I don't know amigo. They shouldn't be gone longer than-"

"Hey!" Rafael was cut off by a female voice.

Pedro looked at Rafael with a confused face.

"How long is HEY, Rafi?" Pedro asked.

Just then Jewel ran up to the two birds.

"Jewel?! You're not supposed to be here hot wing!" Pedro exclaimed. He and Rafael tried to cover up the box of fireworks with their wings, but to no avail.

"Wait! What happened to Nico!?" Rafael asked, surprised at the sight of the nearly unconscious canary.

"No time to explain. Blu is in trouble!" Jewel huffed, tired from carrying Nico.

* * *

Meanwhile, Paris and Vinny were engaged in a battle that would have only one champion.

The two macaws were circling around each other, looking for an opening to attack.

"You're in way over your head buddy." Vinny antagonized before cracking his neck to get the blood flowing.

"Wanna bet?" Paris chuckled.

"Well, let's see what you got then." Vinny replied, anxious to start the fight.

Paris grinned. He lunged towards the red fronted macaw with his wings stretched out.

Vinny just darted upwards and hovered a few feet over Paris.

"What's the matter? Too fast for you?" Vinny said cockily.

"Come down here and face me coward!" Paris yelled.

"I am NOT a coward!" Vinny retorted and swooped down towards the Cuban macaw with his talons extended.

"Ha!" Vinny yelled as he prepared to claw his foe.

"_Idiot"_ Paris smugly thought to himself before ducking.

Vinny's eyes shot wide open.

The red fronted macaw had no time to change his trajectory, and face planted into the ground.

Paris took this opportunity to attack. He started running towards his rival.

Vinny turned around to see an enraged Paris just a few inches away.

Paris curled his fist and struck a blow directly under his opponent's beak. Vinny fell onto his back.

"You're not that tough." Paris arrogantly stated while crossing his wings.

"You will pay for that!" Vinny growled as he flipped back into his talons. He ran up to Paris and quickly threw multiple punches at the macaw. Paris was able to block most of them, but after a few moments his defense weakened and Vinny landed a blow directly on Paris's stomach.

* * *

Meanwhile Jewel, Pedro, Nico (who had recovered), and Rafael were carrying a large firework towards the building where the two macaws were brawling.

"Ugh, this is heavy." Pedro whined.

"Come on guys, do it for Blu." Jewel said, trying to encourage them.

After a few seconds, Rafael sighed in relief.

"Ok, this is it!" He said excitedly.

Nico and Pedro aligned the rocket in the sand so that it was at the perfect trajectory to hit the top of the building.

"Wait, how are gonna light this thing?" Pedro inquired.

Nico saw some word written on the side of the firework. He knew how to read a little due to the fact that he lived in such close proximity with humans for so long.

"_Self-Activating Rocket! Chemically ignited fun!"_

"Uh guys." Nico started.

* * *

"Go Vinny! Get him!" Anna cheered from the background.

Blu just watched in horror as Paris was losing his edge.

Vinny punched Paris on beak twice, and then hit him a couple of him on his left side.

Paris finally collapsed on the ground.

Vinny gripped the cuban red macaw by the throat with his left talon.

"I guess the best bird won. It looks like I can finally wipe out your stupid species." He chuckled evilly while tightening his grip.

"I don't… want to disappoint you…..but you didn't win." Paris coughed out.

"WHAT!? Are you blind!? It's over!" Vinny screamed in rage. No one would deny him the honor of winning.

"Heh, I'd turn around if I were you." Paris chuckled.

Vinny looked up and saw a huge firework arcing in the sky. Anyone could tell that it would land directly on the rooftop just by looking at its velocity and current trajectory.

Paris took this moment of distraction and used it to his advantage. He bit Vinny's talon with his beak, which caused the red fronted macaw to release his grip on Paris.

"Ouch! You little..." Paris didn't let Vinny finish as he hit his adversary directly in the face. This left Vinny dazed, and shortly after he fell onto his back.

Paris looked up to see Anna staring wide eyed at the oncoming rocket. She was paralyzed in fear, and had loosened her hold on Blu as her muscles relaxed.

Blu felt this and promptly pushed himself out of the snake's grasp. The firework was only a few seconds away from impact. Blu and Paris dived off the roof as an explosion erupted behind them.

The Blue and Cuban Red macaw were lying face down in the sand.

Paris lifted his head up and spit some sand out of his beak.

"I get it! Hey good plan Blu!" He yelled, quite satisfied with himself.

Blu lifted his head up and coughed up some sand.

"That's nice to hear." Blu replied sarcastically.

"At least Jewel got it. Wait, Jewel! Where is she!?" Blu thought aloud.

"Blu!" A familiar female voice called out.

Blu saw in the distance that it was indeed Jewel, and she was running up to him. Blu was relieved and elated. He picked himself up and ran over to his precious Jewel.

"Ahhh, young love." Rafael exhaled as he walked up to Paris with Pedro and Nico by his side.

"Hmp." Paris grunted while crossing his wings as he sat in the sand.

"Looks like somebody owes somebody an apology." Nico sang while smiling.

"Little vague Nico." Paris said unenthused.

"You need to tell hot wing you're sorry. If it wasn't for her, you would be D-E-A-D dead!" Pedro clarified.

Paris sighed. He knew they were right.

The Cuban red macaw walked up to the hugging blue couple.

"Hey, um, guys?" He said, causing Blu and Jewel to break their hug. They turned to face Paris.

"Listen, I-I'm sorry about earlier. *sigh* I let my past get the best of me. I shouldn't have assumed that Jewel was going to be like Helen. I just didn't want Blu to go through what I did. I can see now that things are different with you two." Paris apologized while sheepishly rubbing his right wing with his left wing.

"Can you guys forgive me?" He asked and looked up at the two birds with a genuine expression.

Blu and Jewel exchanged glances quickly. Then they looked back at Paris.

"Of course we do." The lovebirds said in unison.

"Just don't pin me down again, or you WILL be sorry." Jewel said antagonistically while pointing a wingtip at Paris.

"Don't worry guys, this is the new Paris. All I want is to start over. Maybe we can all be friends now?" Paris asked.

"Paris, we will always be there for you. And if you ever are having a hard time, come to us. We just want to help you. That's what friends do." Blu warmly replied.

Paris was really touched.

"Oh thanks Blu Buddy!" He yelled as he pulled Blu and Jewel into a full hug.

The two Blue macaws were caught a little of guard by this, but soon accepted the friendly gesture.

Rafael, Pedro, and Nico walked up to the hugging macaws.

"I would hate to end this great moment amigos, but if I don't get home soon Eva will have my head." Rafael insisted with a serious expression.

Pedro took his left wing and slit it across his throat while making a ripping sound with his beak.

Paris released Blu and Jewel from the hug and turned around to face the three samba birds.

"Yeah, let's go drop these two lovebirds off." Paris said while friendly elbowing Blu.

Blu lost his footing a little and leaned onto Jewel. Jewel helped Blu regain his balance.

"Hehe" Blu chuckled while rubbing where Paris elbowed him with his wing.

* * *

After Paris and the samba birds said their goodbyes, Blu and Jewel made their way back into the aviary through the air vents. Jewel noticed that her lovehawk was a little melancholy. She decided to find out what was the matter.

"Blu? Are you feeling ok? You look, upset."

There was a moment of silence. The only sound heard was that of the two macaw's talons clicking on the metal vent. Blu finally replied.

"Jewel, I'm sorry. I-I wanted this evening to be perfect, but it just ended up being a disaster." He said despondently.

"Oh Blu, it wasn't that bad. You gave me a wonderful ride, a beautiful dinner, and an amazing fire-show. AND you showed me how smart and brave you are. Blu, you were willing to put yourself in danger just to protect me. I couldn't have asked for a better evening." Jewel said comfortingly.

"R-really?" Blu asked as the two macaws made it to the entrance of the breeding room.

Jewel looked at Blu.

"Really." She said and pecked him on the cheek.

Blu blushed under his feathers.

"Thanks Jew-aahhh!" The blue macaw yelled as he fell out of the vent, and onto the artificial jungle floor.

"What happened to my ramp?" Jewel heard her lovehawk whine from the floor. She giggled thinking Blu's clumsiness was comical.

"Yeah, I couldn't have asked for a better evening." She said to herself in contentment.

* * *

Back at the beach, Kipo and Luiz came flying, as the spoonbill was carrying the bulldog, in to where the box of fireworks was located.

"Hey guys! We got the matches! You'll never…guys?" Kipo said curiously as he noticed that all his friends were gone.

"Hey Kipo! I think they left without us! That's messed up…" Luiz complained before licking the drool from his face with his tongue.

**And that's all folks! Everyone is safe and sound, and Luiz was left behind…again. In case you are wondering, Vinny is the same macaw the helped Rafael and Pedro sneak into the aviary. Things are going to mellow out now, and the focus will be on fitting into a new lifestyle and making important decisions. A special thanks to everyone who read/reviewed my story so far! See you soon! :)**


	14. Chapter 14: A Week Later

**Hello awesome readers! I'm back with another chapter for you. Let's get on with the review responses!**

**Fanfiction guy: Hey, thanks for your kind words. Yeah Vinny was the bird in the beginning of the story. He was there only briefly, so it should be hard to remember him. I am definitely trying to include more emotions, history, and environmental detail. Let me know what you think. I totally understand about school. It's a constant battle for time we all face. Thanks for your review, and I hope to hear from you again this chapter. Talk to you later man! :)**

After the events regarding Anna and Vinny, Paris and the samba birds parted ways. Paris was flying through the sky, enjoying the breeze on his face. He was slightly disconcerted as something was on his mind.

"_What was up with those guys? I mean, some random snake and this jerk Vinny just came out of nowhere. It couldn't have been for no reason."_ The Cuban red macaw thought to himself as he soared ever closer to his humble tree hollow.

Paris looked up at the moon and briefly lost his train of thought while he watched the light rays descend over the jungle, casting a blue-ish tint over landscape. He sighed and looked ahead.

"_Blu and Jewel helped me so much. I feel like they, they actually understand what I'm going though. They are my friends, and I need to make sure they're safe no matter what the cost."_

Paris gently landed in his tree hollow and turned around to get one last glimpse of the peaceful sky before retiring for the night. The macaw looked up at the moon which reflected in his eyes.

"No matter what…"

**One Week Later**

A week had already passed since Blu and Jewel returned from their night out. Unfortunately, they did not have the opportunity to get out again as an aviary maintenance employee noticed the security breach. Tulio and Linda's relationship was going strong, and they were very serious. Even though it was never said, everyone pretty much knew that Linda wasn't going to leave Rio anytime soon. Also, due to a collaborative project between the EPA and Brazil, Tulio's sanctuary was able to secure a grant for a reasonable sum of money in order to protect and preserve their new _Blue Treasure_. Everything seemed like it was going great, well except for one little thing.

"Hey Jewel, this cage is amazing! *Deep Breath* You smell that? That's the smell of clean air. Did you know that they use Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation for their air purification?" Blu giddily chirped as he flew down from an open panel on a wall adjacent from Jewel.

"Jewel?"

The female macaw was standing in front of her own wall, hitting her head against it out of boredom.

Blu was confused at Jewel's behavior.

"Ohhhh. This is so boring!" Jewel exhaled after pausing from hitting her head against the wall and just leaned against it.

"W-what's the matter?" Blu inquired as he stood a few feet away from Jewel with a confused expression.

"I've been stuck in this stupid cage for over a week. That's what's the matter." Jewel replied with irritation in her voice while remaining in her current position.

"I know you're a free spirited bird Jewel, but it's not all that bad. Y-you have me, right?" Blu nervously inquired while slowly walking towards Jewel.

Jewel returned to her normal posture and smiled warmly at Blu. She walked over and met him. The female macaw looked Blu in the eyes with a genuine expression. Blu could feel her emotions flowing through his eyes and onto his heart. Jewel grabbed both of his wings in hers.

"Blu, I would stay in here for the rest of my life as long as I could be with you." Jewel lovingly replied.

Blu happily smiled at his love.

"But, don't you want to go out in the wild? Don't you want to go out and be birds Blu? Get fresh air in your lungs instead of this irradiciation stuff." She chuckled without losing eye contact with Blu.

Blu uncomfortably looked to his left.

"B-but, the jungle is dangerous Jewel. You may be prepared, but out there I'm just an hors d'oeuvres."

"I know, I know, a feathery spring roll. Come on, stop being such a baby and take a chance for once." Jewel interrupted as she released her grip on Blu.

"I took enough chances in my life already. I mean, I wouldn't change what happened this past week for anything, but maybe the jungle isn't where we belong." Blu suggested while he thoughtfully looked off to his left.

Jewel narrowed her eyes at Blu.

"What are trying to say? What, we should stay in this, this prison for the rest of our lives?" The female macaw queried with an irritated tone.

Blu looked at Jewel with a melancholy expression.

"It wouldn't be that bad. Why can't we just play it safe?" Blu suggested.

Jewel became aggravated.

"I don't believe this! You, you are willing to give up freedom for safety!? Do you want to just waste your life sitting in this cage, with…with humans!?" Jewel barked while backing Blu into a corner.

"Well, it could be worse." Blu anxiously chuckled.

"I can't believe that after everything we went through you still would rather be with them than your own kind! You know, that's your problem, you want everything your way." Jewel continued.

Blu nervously took quick, shallow breather and glanced from side to side. He closed his eyes, and prepared himself. He reopened his eyes and look intently at Jewel.

"Jewel, I-I'm not like you. I grew up in captivity, I never knew my parents, I couldn't fly until a week ago, and-and I'm scared of the Jungle!" Blu yelled, finally breaking down. He looked down at the ground and shed a tear.

"I'm Blu from Minnesota Jewel, and that's all I'll ever be. I wish I wasn't scared, but I don't know what's going to happen out there…and-and I can't protect you. I can't loose you Jewel." He lightly sobbed.

Jewel felt all of her aggression dissipate from her body similar to how steam diffuses out of boiling water. She smiled warmly at Blu and put a wingtip under his beak. She lifted his head up to meet her.

"Blu, you should have told me all this. It's okay to be scared. I'll be there to help you the whole time." She soothingly assured him.

"You know Blu, I'm scared too." Jewel admitted.

"Wha- you're scared?" Blu said in shock, his face dropping.

"I don't know what's out there either. But I want a better life. And part of that is taking a chance." She replied, returning her wings to her side.

Blu sighed.

"Maybe I am too cautious. You're right Jewel." Blu replied.

"Of course I am. No matter what happens, we have each other. And that's all we need." Jewel cooed as she scooted next to Blu and nuzzled her head into his chest.

Blu happily rested his head on top of Jewel's and closed his eyes.

"I never thought anyone would care so much about me. Thanks bobo." Jewel happily chuckled as she fell asleep.

"Rest well my precious Jewel. I love you."

…

…

Blu's eye shote wide open once he realized what he just said.

"_Oh cheese and sprinkles"_ He thought to himself.

He didn't dare look down at Jewel. Seconds felt like hours as time crawled along. Was Jewel awake and mad at Blu, or was she asleep and never consciously understood what Blu said. Blu swallowed and quickly looked down. To his relief, he saw that Jewel was fast asleep. This also came as a disappointment. Would he ever find the right combination of circumstance and courage to actually tell Jewel how he felt?

Maybe, maybe now was the time. Could his mind be telling him something?

Blu was about to wake Jewel up, when a sudden clatter did the job for him.

Just then Tulio burst into the room in a daze.

"You can do this Tulio, there's nothing to it. People do it all the time." He stood still and his eyes widened.

"But what if she says no?" He whispered to himself as he gripped his hair.

During the time Tulio was in the breeding chamber, he had walked in circles. He seemed lost due to nervousness. He soon exhaled from tension and then left the room.

Jewel foggily was watching the event unfold.

"What was that about?" Jewel asked Blu.

She didn't hear a response and looked up at her lovehawk.

Blu was looking off into the distance as if he had just seen a ghost.

"Blu? Are you ok?" Jewel asked again, now growing a little concerned.

Blu shook his head quickly to knock himself out of his daze and returned to his normal disposition.

"Oh, n-no Jewel. Everything's…" Blu trailed off when he noticed something shining off in the distance.

He squinted, not believing what he saw.

Jewel saw Blu's expression and realized that there was something important in the distance. She followed his eyes to a shining spec in the distance.

"Wh-what is that thing Blu." Jewel inquired, looking back at Blu.

Blu didn't answer, but instead motioned for them to investigate.

The two lovebirds walked up to the strange object.

Jewel for some reason was mesmerized by it. Her eyes widened as the beauty of this new object flooded her eyes with enthralling light.

Blu picked up the object in his left talon, and held it in front of his face. His beak dropped.

"Oh no." Blu whispered to himself when he realized what this thing was.

"What Blu? What's the matter?" Jewel asked, looking to her left at Blu.

Blu turned his head to Jewel and looked at her with a worried expression.

"We need to get this to Tulio, fast!"

**Just goes to show, even though two lovers may be vastly different they can overcome it with a cooperative effort. What did Tulio loose? Do you know? We'll find out soon enough. Also, this story is actually coming to its conclusion pretty soon. :( So thanks for all the support you guys have given me! I'll probably make a sequel, so if you like my writing fret not. See you all next chapter. Happy reading!**


	15. Chapter 15: Key Mission

**Hello faithful readers! I bring you another chapter. It seems like all of you guys agree on what Tulio dropped, let's find out if you are right!**

**Notice: Another amazing author, Alex The Owl, is holding the Rio Awards! It's a contest made to recognize the authors in the community in various topics. So get out there and vote! Well, after you read my chapter of course!**

**Guest Review Responses:**

**Fanfiction guy: Yeah, cliffhanger. "Can't, hold, on, much, longer!" I'll definitely refer to some of your past review ideas. I couldn't really see what was on the video you told me about as the resolution was very low. Do you have an ff account? Thanks for your support and I'm glad to hear from you. Good luck with your exams! :)**

Tulio was walking down a hallway in the Aviary. His heart raced like that of a child who overindulged in candy. A bead of sweat formed on his forehead, but he promptly wiped it away to prevent any apparent signs of nervousness. He was leaving to go pick up Linda for another date. But this one was special, and he had no intention of letting it fall apart. Tulio waved goodbye to the receptionist as he walked out of the lobby and into the parking lot.

* * *

Back in the breeding cage, the last two Blue macaws had just determined that the shining object they were now in possession of had to be returned to their ornithologist friend.

"But Blu, how are we gonna get out? They closed off the vents and the doors are closed." Jewel asked Blu, wondering how in the world they would get to Tulio.

Blu quickly flew up to the breeding room door, perched himself on the handle, and turned the knob. The door swung open and took Blu with it.

"Woah" Blu said before losing his balance and falling off the door handle.

As the macaw dusted himself off, Jewel walked up to him with a bewildered expression.

"Wait" She said lifting a wingtip up like a finger.

"You can open people doors?" She asked in disbelief. Jewel was a little irritated because this whole time they could have snuck out, but Blu decided to keep his special skill to himself.

"Yeah, it's not like they're going to lock the door during the daytime." Blu replied like it was obvious before looking up at Jewel.

Jewel just stared at him, which made Blu a little uncomfortable.

"What?" Blu innocently queried.

"We're gonna have a talk later. But for now get your blue butt over to Tulio before we lose him!" Jewel insisted, pushing Blu's back.

Jewel pecked Blu on the check.

"I'll meet up with you." She added.

Blu nodded in reply and took off through the hallway in pursuit of the bird doctor.

* * *

After a brief fly through the Aviary, Blu made it to the main lobby which Tulio was in but only a few moments ago. Unfortunately, Blu was not fast enough and he was just able to catch a glimpse through the glass door of Tulio's jeep driving into the distance.

"Oh Cheese and Sprinkles!" Blu grumbled in frustration.

The receptionist heard Blu's disgruntled squawk and quickly looked up from behind her computer monitor to see the macaw standing on the stained concrete floor. She was confused as to why Blu was out of his cage, and promptly walked out from behind the counter and to the bird. She kneeled how to Blu and looked at him with a concerned expression.

"Hey there little guy, how'd you get out?" She softly said before stroking Blu, to which he responded by happily smiling. Her nametag read _"Amanda"_.

After the receptionist pulled her hand away, Blu lifted up the shiny object and squawked.

The woman's eyes grew as she realized what the macaw was holding.

"W-where did you find that?" She stuttered as she asked Blu.

"Tulio dropped it in our cage." Blu replied, but Amanda couldn't understand.

Just then Jewel entered the lobby through the hallway that lead to her and Blu's room.

Amanda looked over at Jewel, and was absolutely dumbfounded as to how these birds could escape their cages.

"Another one of these guys?" The receptionist said to herself.

"Hey, who are you calling a guy!?" Jewel antagonistically squawked while spreading her wings a little and hopping forward.

"Jewel, it's just a figure of speech." Blu explained, trying to calm Jewel down. The female macaw just narrowed her eyes and stared at Blu.

"Oh, ok I see. So it's fine if I call you a gal then." Jewel riposted and returned her wings to her sides. She knew what Blu meant, but couldn't resist an opportunity to mess with him. Besides, he was cutest when he was trying to save his tail feathers.

"Well, I mean, t-the saying isn't gender discriminatory but, um" Blu fumbled with his thoughts as he anxiously rubbed his neck with his right wing.

Amanda watched in amazement as the two macaws held on their own conversation.

"Listen you two, I'm sorry to interrupt your, uh, _conversation_, but we need to find whoever owns this key." The woman interrupted, causing the two macaws to stop their exchange and look up at her.

_"What a key?"_ Jewel pondered in her head.

Blu nodded and flew up to the receptionist's desk and landed in front of a keyboard and mouse.

He grabbed the mouse in his right talon, and opened up a notepad program. Blu then hopped over to the keyboard, and began tapping away.

Amanda's jaw dropped as she watched the unbelievably smart bird form a complete sentence. It read: "Tulio dropped this in our cage. I have a feeling that it is very important. Can you help us find him?"

Jewel walked up and watched Blu tying on the keyboard.

_"Wow, there is so much I don't know about Blu."_ Jewel thought.

After Amanda regained her composure, she shook her head quickly to shake herself back from her thoughts and responded to the blue birds.

"Y-yeah, I guess we can take my car. I think Tulio said something about going to a hotel to meet his date."

Blu squawked happily as a smile formed on his face. He handed her the key he had picked up from the breeding chamber. The woman stretched out her left arm so Blu could perch himself on it, and looked down to see Jewel looking up at her.

"Come on, let's go." She said to Jewel.

Jewel backed away, unsure whether to trust this human she just met. Blu saw this and tried reassuring Jewel.

"Don't worry Jewel, we can trust her." Blu said while gesturing for Jewel to hop on Amanda's arm as the receptionist was how kneeling down to the female macaw.

"Are you sure Blu?" Jewel queried, still wary of this unfamiliar person.

"Yes, yes I am. And besides, this may be your only change to get out for a while." Blu said with a coaxing voice.

Jewel glanced down at the ground, and then quickly picked her head back up and hopped on the woman's arm. As Amanda returned to her upright position and started walking towards the door, and eventually to the parking lot, Blu playfully, yet carefully, bumped Jewel with his hip.

Jewel looked at Blu and saw he was smirking.

"What?" Jewel innocently asked.

"You. You're trusting a human." Blu answered.

"Yeah, but don't get used to it. I just want to get outside for bit, that's all." Jewel replied before scooting over to her lovehawk and nuzzling her head into his side. Eventually, Amanda made it to her car, opened the door, and got into the car. She let Blu and Jewel hop into the passenger side seat while she started the car. For some reason, the car wouldn't start.

"Hmm, maybe the battery is dead?" Amanda said to herself. She put down the key Blu gave her on the armrest, and went to the trunk to pull out a handheld jumper. The two birds could hear the woman talking to herself from outside the car.

Jewel looked at Blu with a worried expression.

"Blu, what's wrong?" Jewel inquired.

Blu turned his head to the right to look at Jewel.

"I don't know, but it looks like we aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

Jewel collapsed on the car seat, and sat down. She crossed her wings and sighed.

"So much for getting out. Maybe we should just go back inside."

There was no reply.

"Blu?"

Blu was staring upwards out the passenger side car window.

"Blu!" Jewel yelled.

"Wha!" Blu jumped a little and looked down at Jewel.

"What happened?" Jewel asked, arching the feathers around her eyes.

"Oh, I-I was just thinking what this key could be for."

Blu changed his expression from a dazed one, to a sincere one.

"Jewel, I think Tulio needs my help. I don't know why, but I just feel it."

"What are you saying?" Jewel inquired, now a little worried.

"I need to find him." Blu responded while walking over to the armrest. Jewel stood up and watched her lovehawk.

Blu hopped on the armrest and grabbed the diamond studded key. He then walked back to Jewel.

"I don't think this is such a good idea." Jewel asserted.

"But, if you feel like this is important, then I'm behind you." She said while smiling.

The two birds pulled each other into a hug. After a moment, Jewel looked up at Blu.

"I still don't like it though. And if something happens with this _human_, I'm blaming you." Jewel said while poking Blu's chest.

"Don't worry, she's one of Tulio's aides. I'm sure you're safe with her."

"OWW! STUPID CAR!" A voice rang out from under the hood.

Jewel looked at Blu with a saucy expression.

"Hehe, yeah I'll hury." Blu said before breaking the hug.

Blu then flew up to the door, and opened the car window with a button. He glanced quickly at Jewel and then flew out the window.

Amanda heard flapping and looked up to see Blu flying into the evening sky.

"Ohhhh, Tulio is gonna kill me."

**Well, I bet you weren't expecting **_**that.**_** What is the key for and why is it so important? All this and more when we come back! Sorry, couldn't resist that classic line. Let me know what you think in the reviews! Thanks, and see you all next chapter!**


	16. Chapter 16: The Proposal

**Hey guys and gals! Here I give you another chapter. This chapter is pretty good if I do say so myself, so enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for reading!**

**Special Notice: I would like to thank Assasins Creed Master for his generous offer to make me a specialized cover art for this story! He is another great author and you should check out his work and keep the community going! Once again, thank you Assasin for your picture.**

**Guest Review Responses:**

**Fanfiction guy: Wow, that's crazy that he thought Carlos wrote the story! I guess he was confused or mislead somehow. I guess that's a good thing for you since other people think it's that professional sounding. :) And as for what the key is for, you can find out now! Unfortunately I do not own a PS3/PS4 but do play on steam, wii u, and occasionally live for 360 (if they give out free or discounted gold). You are a nice person too man, I and look forward to hearing from you.**

* * *

The sun was setting over the city of Rio de Janeiro. Blu was flying over the city, looking for a certain jeep with a certain ornithologist driver. He scanned the ground below him as he glided around with a key clutched in his right talon. This was no ordinary key however. Blu felt that this key was very important to his ornithologist friend Tulio. He couldn't explain it, but Blu could feel it in his heart that the very key he had was special. Even though he was in a hurry, Blu couldn't help but be taken by the beauty of the city. The bright city lights encompassed the nearby region, and their reflection visible in the ocean in the distance. The sight helped Blu remain calm despite his current situation. For the time being anyway.

Elsewhere in a dumpster outside a Brazilian restaurant, a peculiar and somewhat neurotic bird was searching through human refuse for things to accentuate her beauty. She slowly and softly spoke to herself as she sorted through the garbage.

"I am such a pretty bird. Know why? Because who's a pretty bird? Hmmm?" She asked aloud, while looking at a broken shard of glass showing her reflection. The military macaw got mad, and narrowed her eyes.

"Hey you, bird that looks like me! I asked you a question! Who's a pretty bird?!" She angrily demanded from her reflection while stomping her left talon and ruffling her chest and neck feathers.

After a moment she assumed that the bird was so lost in her beauty she couldn't reply stupid and answered for her.

"IM A PRETTY BIRD! HAHAHAHAHAHAH!" She laughed insanely and began running around in circles without moving her head. This caused her neck to twist like elastic. Just then she noticed something shiny in the mirror. The military macaw stopped running around and quickly looked into the mirror. She squinted and focused on the moving image. She gasped in stared intensely at the mirror. It showed a blue macaw with the most attractive, shiny, mesmerizing thing she ever saw.

"Sooooo preeeeettttyyyyy…" She drooled as a crooked smile formed on her beak.

"Oh Tulio, where are you Tulio?" Blu said to himself as he scanned the moving vehicles below. There were so many of them moving around like insignificant specs on the twisting roads. Blu was finding it very difficult to locate his target. The blue macaw was so focused on finding his friend, he didn't even noticed the deranged military macaw heading right for him.

Out of nowhere another bird slammed into Blu, causing both of them to spiral out of control. Fortunately, they were both at such a high altitude that even Blu had ample time to react. After catching himself, Blu hovered in midair and looked behind him to see the rude bird that just collided with him flying away.

"Hmp, some birds just-" Blu eyes widened in shock as he opened and closed his talons, feeling that he no longer was in possession of the key.

"Oh no!"

To add some irony to the situation, Blu found himself right outside the hotel at which Linda was staying. He even saw Tulio getting out of his jeep in the parking lot!

At this point Blu had two options. He could either go to his human friends for help, or try to apprehend this key snatcher himself. As much as Blu would love to have Linda and Tulio help him, by the time he found them the macaw that he bumped into would be long gone. Blu swallowed heavily and made a difficult decision.

"I really hope this is worth it." Blu whined to himself as he darted in the opposite direction than that of Tulio. He was now in pursuit of the talon picker.

Blu sped ahead, trying to catch up to the military macaw.

"Hey! *huff* Hey, c-come *huff* back!" Blu desperately cried out to the macaw, but his pleas were in vain.

"No! I'm a pretty bird, and only pretty birds get pretty things!" The macaw defiantly replied.

This bird obviously had more endurance than Blu, and an aerial chase appeared pointless as time went on and Blu became fatigued. Blu stopped and landed on a nearby rooftop. After taking a moment to catch his breath, Blu put his wing under his chin and thought. He soon realized that he was going about this all wrong. Instead of relying on physical means, Blu should use his greatest strength, his brain.

"Let's see, if my calculations are correct, then she is traveling on an arc. If I go straight, I can cut her off up ahead." Blu thought aloud while rubbing the feathers under his beak.

After a minute or two of flying, the military macaw looked over her shoulder to find that the blue bird was no longer chasing her.

"Ha! I guess I was too much for him. Just goes to show, pretty birdies always win." She arrogantly said to herself while slowing down and stroking her crest feathers with her left talon.

Blu was hiding behind a nearby bush, waiting for his target. As soon as he saw the green macaw flying above him, he gingerly strolled out from the bush and walked on an adjacent sidewalk.

The military macaw was interrupted from her narcissistic self-accolades when she noticed Blu. She gasped, and froze in midair.

"H-how did he find me?" She whispered to herself in disbelief.

Blu looked up at her.

"Oh no, he saw me. I better-" She was baffled by what Blu did next. The macaw just waved in a friendly manner and turned his attention to something in his wings. The military macaw was absolutely confused.

"H-How dare he just ignore me! I'm too pretty to be ignored like this!" She said with rage before she flew down to the blue macaw.

She landed down on the sidewalk, not too far from Blu, and marched in his direction.

"Hey! Who do you think you are ju-"

"Oh hello there! How's that shiny key of yours?" Blu inquired after turning around to face the angry macaw.

"Oh, well it's pretty. Just…like…me? Hey, are you listening?" She asked, now vexed after seeing that she had lost Blu's attention.

"Hm? I'm sorry, I was just busy looking at my new bow." Blu apologized as he redirected his attention back to the military macaw.

"A bow? What's that?" The military macaw queried, now interested in what Blu had.

Blu smiled, knowing now that he had piqued her interest.

"Well you see, it's something that human women put on their head to make themselves look pretty. You see, I made this one out of a leaf." Blu explained.

The female macaw's eyes widened in excitement, like a child on Christmas morning.

"Really!? Can, can I try? Just for a little?" She begged, taking a step closer to Blu.

"Hmmmm, I don't know… What if you break it?" Blu asked, pretending to be concerned for his bow.

The macaw tapped her beak with her left talon, trying to think of a way she could have the bow. The macaw perked up when she thought of a way to get the bow.

"I know, what if we trade? I'll give you this key for that bow! Waddaya say?" She offered and smiled.

"I'm not too sure." Blu replied.

"Pleeeeeaaaasssseeeee." She pleaded, giving Blu puppy eyes.

"Oh, ok." Blu finally conceded, lowering his head.

The female macaw squealed in delight.

"Yes! Ok, gimmie!" She demanded, placing the diamond studded key in front of her so Blu could take it.

Blu happily took the key and gave the military macaw the bow. The green colored macaw euphorically lifted the bow up to her head and stuck it in her feathers.

"Hehe! This is so awesome! Thank you sooooo much, uh, what's your name?" The female bird asked.

"Blu, you know like the, um, like the color but without the 'e' at the end." Blu responded, trying to come up with a more efficient way of explaining his name.

"Nice to meet you Blu! My name's Carla." Carla said, offering a talon shake.

Blu accepted the shake and they both shook talons.

"You know Blu, you seem familiar. I just can't put my wing on it." Carla said while sorting through her memories in an attempt to remember where she saw this bird before.

"I know you will remember soon enough. I actually have to go, see you around Carla!" Blu bid farewell as he took off, heading towards the hotel where Lind and Tulio were located.

Carla watched Blu fly away. The rays from the setting sun reflected off his blue feather as he soared in the sky.

"You know, that Blu guy is the nicest bird I've ever talked to. Actually, I think he's the _only_ bird I've ever talked to. Hehe. Wait, I-I talked with another bird! That means I'm not worthless! Maybe the cockatoo was wrong, m-maybe I'm not stupid."

* * *

Tulio had called Linda's room through the front desk and was sitting in a black leather wingchair while waiting in the lobby for her to come down. Tulio anxiously looked down at his watch. It was only a few seconds since the last time he checked, but it felt like an eternity. Then, the elevator chimed. Tulio stood up from his chair and looked at the elevator. An elderly lady walked out. That was it. The ornithologist sighed deeply before returning to resting in his chair. As he waited, Tulio tapped his fingertips on the chair's leather arm and listened to the rhythmic sound it produced. He stared at his fingers and became lost in his thoughts.

"_How is she going to respond to all this? How can I expect her to say yes? We haven't even known each other for a full month yet."_ The bird doctor thought to himself as he waited. He was so lost in his thoughts, that he didn't even notice someone walk up in front of him.

"Uh, Tulio?" A muffled voice penetrated Tulio's thoughts. He groggily looked up to see Linda standing over him. His eyes shot wide open as he sobered up from being lost in his mind.

"Woah!" He nervously responded, not expecting Linda to come out of nowhere (Even though she casually walked up to him).

Linda cautiously took a step back.

"I-I'm sorry Tulio, I didn't mean to scare you." Linda apologized as she adjusted her glasses with her left hand.

"Oh, no no no. You didn't scare me. I was just, unprepared." Tulio replied comfortingly as he stood up. He then took Linda's hands in his.

They gazed into each other's eyes for a few moments.

"Um, Linda? There is something important I need to talk to you about. D-do you mind if we step outside for a moment?" Tulio inquired.

"Oh, yeah. Sure." His girlfriend answered.

The two walked through two automatic sliding doors out of the hotel, and out into the parking lot.

"So what did you want to talk about Tulio?" Linda asked.

"Linda, I just want to thank you." The ornithologist simply said while looking at Linda.

"Thank you? For what?" The Minnesotan asked while chuckling, finding it cute and slightly humorous that Tulio would thank her for no apparent reason.

"For being part of my life." Tulio genuinely replied.

"Awww" Linda giggled.

"You coming to Rio was the best thing that ever happened to me." Tulio added while digging into his back pocket. His eye grew in shock when he realized that he had lost something. Before he had time to react further, a familiar squawk hit his eardrums. Tulio promptly turned around to see Blu coming towards him. In a matter of seconds, Blu had perched himself on Tulio's shoulder.

"B-Blu? H-How did you…" Blu stopped Tulio from talking when he extended his right talon out. In his grasp was a key. Tulio gasped. There wasn't any time for questions. The Brazilian just accepted this strange twist of fate and gladly took the key from Blu's talon. Tulio then looked back at Linda and resumed.

"And, I want you to be able stay here." He said while holding the key out for Linda to take.

"Tulio? What, what is this?" Linda anxiously asked as she took the key from Tulio.

Tulio smirked.

"Instead of telling you, how about we go see it now?"

Linda nodded in agreement. The group of three made their way towards Tulio's jeep, where they found a familiar car parked next to it.

Standing outside the small automobile was Amanda, the receptionist from the aviary.

"Amanda? What are you doing here? And why aren't you looking after the aviary?" Tulio asked strictly, a little angry yet not really that surprised that one of his employees left their post.

"Listen, I can explain. These two Blue Macaws came to me with this weird key and told, well, wrote, that we needed to get it to you. But the blue dude got away, and it felt like the little girl bird was just complaining about my driving the _whole_ ride over here." Amanda explained as she opened the front passenger side door to show a dizzy Jewel stumbling on the car seat.

Blu became very concerned and flew down from Tulio's shoulder to Jewel. He landed down next to her and put a wing around her.

"Jewel, what happened?" Blu worriedly asked his girlfriend.

Jewel rubbed her face with her good wing before using it to point to Amanda.

"Her" She simply said.

"Whatever this thing you left me in is called. Stop and go stop and go stop and go. She obviously can't use it without getting others sick." Jewel added after shaking her head to fight off the dizziness.

Blu chuckled, happy to know that Jewel was all right. Jewel smiled and pulled Blu into a tight hug.

"Hey, I'd hate to ruin such a nice moment but I need you to come with me and Linda. Without you two we wouldn't be here right now." Tulio interjected.

Jewel looked up at Blu with scared eyes.

"No, not again. Not another one of those…those sick machine things." Jewel pleaded.

"Don't worry Jewel, I'm sure Tulio is a much better driver." Blu lovingly comforted.

The two couples eventually made it into Tulio's jeep, and started driving somewhere. Amanda left for the aviary, and everything seemed calm now.

* * *

Tulio pulled up in front of a building. Blu and Linda got a very potent feeling of nostalgia from it for some odd reason. Blu and Jewel perched themselves on Linda's right shoulder, and the group of four exited the jeep and walked up to the building.

Tulio excitedly looked at Linda.

"Ok, go ahead. Use the key." He pushed anxiously.

Linda took out the diamond studded key from her pocket and nervously unlocked the door. She opened it and walked into the building. Tulio was the last to enter, and after he closed the door he turned on the lights. As the room was flooded with light, Blu and Linda's mouths were left wide open in shock. They found themselves in an EXACT duplicate of Linda's bookstore from Minnesota.

Linda looked over at Tulio with watery eyes. She was touched that he had gone to such lengths to do this for her.

"Now, Linda, you can stay in Rio. The bookstore is yours, all expenses paid!" Tulio proudly said.

"Oh Tulio!" Linda cried happily as she pulled her love into an emotional hug.

"I-I can't accept this. It must have cost a fortune!" Linda said declining the bookstore.

"Don't worry Linda, it didn't cost me anything! I convinced our funders that you needed a place of permanent residence so Blu wouldn't suffer from depression." Tulio explained, still holding onto Linda.

Blu coked his head. "Depressed? I'm not depressed." He mumbled to himself.

"And that's not the best part." Tulio added, helping Blu and Jewel down onto a nearby table. The ornithologist directed Linda to a countertop with a book on it.

Linda sniffed and curiously looked at the book. The two walked over to it. Linda picked up the book and read the cover.

"To My Love"

Her hands trembled as she opened the book to the first chapter. It said, "Chapter 1: I give you my heart, my love, and myself."

Other than that, there wasn't anything else written in the book. Linda flipped through all the pages searching for something else. She finally reached the last page. There were four words written in bold at the end.

…

…

…

…

…

"**Will you marry me?"**

Linda gasped as if she was winded. The book fell from her hands and onto the counter. She slowly turned around to see Tulio bent down on one knee, with an open black box in his hands. Inside the box was a ring.

Linda held her hands up to her face, not believing what she was seeing.

"So, will you marry me Linda? Tulio asked.

Linda's lips trembled as she lowered her hands.

"OH OF COURSE I WILL TULIO!" She cried out in pure euphoria.

The two hugged, and then pulled each other into a long passionate kiss.

Blu and Jewel were both holding on to one another, crying tears of joy.

Yes, tonight was indeed a joyous one. Finally the two bird nerds were engaged. It was a night to remember, the night of the proposal.

* * *

After all of the excitement had died down a little, the four returned to the aviary where Bu and Jewel were brought back to their room. The two snuggled together as they prepared to drift off into a peaceful sleep.

"So, you're ok with cars now?" Blu asked, breaking the silence.

Jewel looked up at him.

"Oh, don't worry Blu, I'll get you back. When you least expect it." She sighed happily.

"Ohhhh, why can't you just do it now and get it over with?" Blu groaned.

"Because. Then it wouldn't be fair. Also, you're cute when you're paranoid. And I can't miss that." Jewel concluded before falling asleep.

Blu smiled in contentment. He closed his eyes and started his journey into sleep. A few thoughts ran through his mind before he fell asleep.

"_Thank you Jewel. You have given so much to me, I just want to give something to you. I just want to make you feel like the most special, important, loved bird in the world. I need to tell you. I can't do this anymore. I will tell you Jewel."_

**There we go, finished! Well, Lind and Tulio are finally engaged. AND, we got to see Carla the Military Macaw. At first she seems crazy, but maybe that's because she was never treated with kindness. Maybe, all she needs is a friend? I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It is one of the last. Actually, I only have two more planned. So get ready for the grand finale! I am absolutely amazed by the sheer amount of support you guys have given. As usual, any and all reviews are greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next chapter!**

**Egil out!**


	17. Jewel's Poll

The scene starts out with a completely white backdrop. Everything is completely motionless and silent. Then a faint clacking sound is heard in the distance. It grows ever louder and more intrusive, until one can ignore it no longer. Something is coming, your heart rate quickens. Your breaths become shallow. You know it's coming but you don't know wh-

"Hello" A happy Jewel pops out nowhere. She walks to the center of the stage with a paper in her wings. She smiles at the camera, waiting for something. Without fully moving her beak, she speaks out of the side of her mouth.

"ay lu, et oer ere."

"No. Remember what happened last time I was on TV?" Blu replied from beyond the cameras range.

Jewel lost her cool and menacingly stared to her right, completely ignoring her audience.

"Tyler Blu Gunderson! If you don't get out here you'll pay." She threatened.

"Sorry Jewel, I'm not endorsing this." Blu defiantly replied.

"Ohhh" Jewel grumbled.

"Do you want a repeat of the toothbrush incident?"

After a moment of silence Blu walked out from the right side of the screen and stood diagonally behind Jewel so that half of his body was behind her.

"Hey guys, can we get to the point? My wings are getting tired from holding this thing." Nico whined from behind the camera.

"Yeah, and I promised Kippo I would help him out at da club later. You can't keep me back man!" Pedro retorted.

"Hey take it easy man, she means well." Nico soothed.

"I know but-"

"Can we get on with this?" Jewel interrupted throwing her wings in the air.

"Ok, go do your thing baby bird." Nico replied.

"*sigh* Anyway, me and Blu wanted to ask you viewers an important question." Jewel said while retaining eye contact with the camera.

Blu lifted a wingtip.

"Well, its not really _that_ important. So, so don't trouble yourself." The male macaw said from behind his mate.

Jewel looked at him with a slightly irritated expression.

"hehe" Blu chuckled nervously.

"The point is, we need your help deciding what movie to watch. We have three choices."

Jewel looked down at the paper in her wings.

*Ahem*

"One, Titanic. A drama about the fatal events that unfolded during an infamous voyage across the Atlantic."

Blu ran a wingtip across his throat and shook his head. He mouthed the word "no".

Jewel lashed her lead around, but Blu quickly changed his expression. Blu just stood whistling as he rocked back and forth with his wings behind his back.

Jewel narrowed her eyes and returned to the paper.

"Two, Alien. A horror set in space that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat, waiting for the invulnerable monster to attack."

Blu's eyes dilated. He clasped his wings together and shook his head violently.

Jewel turned around again from suspicion, just to find Blu preening his chest feathers.

"One, two, three, come preen me." Blu calmly said to himself, appearing lost in arranging his feather.

Jewel shrugged off Blu's actions and held up the paper again.

"Finally, three. The la- lu- The li. Jewel squinted trying to pronounce the word on the paper.

Blu looked over her shoulder and exhaled a sigh of relif. He smiled happily, remebering the last choice.

"It says LEGO, angel." Blu clarified while peering over Jewel's wing.

"Oh, thanks Bluey." Jewel said and then lovingly pecked Blu on his cheek.

Blu looked at the camera and blushed.

"Ok, The LEGO Movie. A fun filed story of family, friendship, and love."

"Did somebody say love?" An excited Nico chirped.

"A-ac-ach ech em." He coughed.

The yellow canary starting whistling the tune to fly love. He and Pedro placed the camera down and flew out on stage.

"Hey guys, we're not-"Jewel was cut off when Pedro decided to add his part.

"Hey, lemme set the da mood. Check it."

"Get it get it get it get it get it get get it girl" The tubby cardinal started singing.

Suddenly Rafael and Eva hoped on stage.

"Hey Amigos! You didn't tell me you were holding a singing contest! Me and Eva got a great act! Right my Juicy little mango?" Rafael happily said, inviting himselfand his mate into the cacophony.

Blu and Jewel looked at each other, sharing mutual fear.

"This is not going to end well." Jewel stated bluntly.

"Yeah, um, l-let's go before...you know." Blu replied while briefly nodding his head in agreemnt.

Rafael and Eva walked into the center of the stage while holding wings as Blu and Jewel made their hasty escape.

"Tall and tan and young and lovely..." Rafael started singing with Nico and Pedro each doing their own thing in the background.

Meanwhile Blu and Jewel were running through a white world.

"Where's the exit Blu!?" Jewel inquired, completed scared.

"Hmm, I knew it was around here-"

"...The girl from Ipanema goes walking..." Rafael's voice cut through.

"Hurry Blu!" Jewel shouted.

Blu was frantically searching the desolate white wasteland for an exit.

"...And when she passes, each one she passes goes..."

Blu's face lit up when he found an indent on the floor. This was the trapdoor the two lovebirds could use for their escape.

"Hey Jewel, I found-"

**"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"**

The screen fills with static.

...

...

...

...

...

**Yeah, that idea totally worked out. Anywho, like Jewel said there are three movies you can choose from. One vote per person. Guest votes are accepted. What movie will make an appearance in the next chapter? Your votes will show! Either leave it in a review or PM me. Just as a reminder, the movies are:**

***Titanic**

***Alien**

***The LEGO Movie**

**See you all next chapter! Oh, and for this chapter I will be responding to guest reviews in the review section, not in the chapter itself.**

**Happy Writing,**

**Egil**


	18. Chapter 17: Movie Night (Bug Fix)

It was another beautiful morning in Rio. The sun was rising over the horizon, and the inhabitants were just starting their day. All except for one blue macaw who still was "on Minnesota time".

"Hey Blu." Jewel, the beautiful female blue spix macaw, softly said to her lovehawk in an attempt to wake him from his sleep. After waiting a few seconds and finding that Blu did not move even in the slightest, she tried again.

"Hey Blu, wake up." She repeated, nudging him with her right talon. Unfortunately her efforts were in vain.

Blu chuckled in his head.

"_Hehe, Jewel's not gonna get me up early today. She'll give up and then I can go back to sleep."_

While Blu was smugly waiting for Jewel to concede, the female macaw decided to think of another idea. She tapped a wingtip on her beak and thought how to get Blu up. A devious smile formed on her beak when she thought of a foolproof way to wake up her sleeping Bluey.

"Ok Blu, you win." She sighed out loud, pretending to give up.

Blu happily savored this moment, knowing that soon he would drift back into the land of dreams without being poked.

"It looks like you're sleeping in ag- Oh good morning Linda. Are those vitamins for Blu?"

Blu poked an eye open.

"What!?" He said in disbelief.

"I thought…" Blu trailed off when he noticed that Linda wasn't there and Jewel was standing over him with her wings on her hips.

"Oh, Jewel, uh, is it morning already?" He chuckled nervously.

"Gotcha." Jewel gloated playfully as she smiled.

"Now get up Blu, its late." She added sweetly.

"Aw come on Jewel. It's so much nicer on…the…cozy…floor…Zzzzzzz" Blu jokingly replied, pretending to fall asleep.

"No,no,no. Blu, this is your last warning." Jewel said seriously.

Blu opened his eyes and looked at Jewel.

"Please Jewel, can't I just sleep a little more without you kicking me?" Blu whined.

"Oh, does little bluey want to sleep without me bugging him?" Jewel giggled in a baby voice.

"Hmp." Blu grumbled as he turned onto his side with his back facing Jewel.

"Ok Blu, I warned you." Jewel said while walking towards her lovehawk.

Blu peered behind him to see Jewel approaching with an unsettling smirk on her beak.

"Uh Jewel, hehe, um are you coming to give me a hug?" Blu anxiously inquired.

Jewel cracked her neck.

"I'm just gonna have a little fun." She replied with serious tone.

"Uh oh." Blu whispered aloud as he pushed himself up with his wings and darted away into the artificial jungle.

"_Inside outside, inside outside _\- Come back Blu! - _Inside outside, inside outside_." She yelled, but soon slowed down and evntually collpased on the floor laughing.

After a few moments of flying through the artificial jungle, Blu thought he had finally lost Jewel. He glanced behind to find that she was nowhere to be seen.

"Whew. I *pant* I think I lost her *pant*." He said out loud while breathing deeply.

An unexpected rustling in some of the plastic bushes soon caught his attention.

Blu lashed around, but found that there was nothing in the nearby greenery. Feeling a little scared, Blu was about to take off when a familiar voice made him freeze with fear.

"You thought you lost me?"

Before he could turn around to see the source of the voice, even though he already had a VERY good idea of who it was, someone had collided with him and they both rolled around until they came to an abrupt stop. Just like when they first met, Jewel had Blu pinned down on the ground with her talon as she was standing over him. However, this time she purposely had a looser grip.

"O-o-ok Jewel, y-y-you win. I'm awake, I'm awake." Blu nervously stuttered while clenching his eyes shut, recollecting the last time he upset his feisty angel.

"Blu? You don't need to be scared. I'm not going to hurt you." She softly inquired, seeing that Blu appeared petrified.

"S-s-sorry. It's just hard not to get scared when someone has you pinned down by the throat." The male macaw replied, still shaking a little.

They remained in their current position for a few seconds before Blu broke the silence.

"So, um, are you going to let me go?"

Jewel smiled.

"Sure, once you calm down and learn that I'm not going to hurt you." She answered.

"It's kind of hard not to be scared when you're seconds away from having you're vocal chords ripped out. Jewel, even with a bad wing you-"

Blu was cut off when Jewel leaned down and pressed her beak into his. At first Blu was shocked. His eyes opened wide and he stared at Jewel. But after a second or two he adjusted, rolled his eyes back into his head. After a moment of bliss, the two broke the kiss. Jewel hovered her head a few centimeters away from Blu.

"You feel calm now?" She sweetly questioned.

Blu felt his pulse return to a slow and relaxed pace. He smiled while looking at Jewel and slowly nodded his head up and down.

"Um, I hope I'm not interrupting anything." A familiar voice interrupted.

Blu and Jewel looked to their right and left, respectively, to see the kind hearted ornithologist standing near them with some paperwork in his hands.

"I have some exciting new for you two." He said while walking closer to the two macaws, still in their awkward position.

Tulio kneeled down as Jewel stepped off of and released her grip on the now tranquil Blu. The male macaw picked himself up and followed Jewel as they met Tulio near the edge of the artificial jungle.

Blu was confused as to why his human friend had come to see them. Usually Tulio didn't take Jewel out for her checkup until later in the day.

A large smile slowly crept over the ornithologist's face.

"You Jewel, are one remarkable bird." He chuckled while putting down his paperwork and picking up the female macaw in his hands.

Tulio then proceeded to do something that shocked both macaws. Blu's eyes grew in horror as he witnesses Tulio remove Jewel bandages.

"Hey! What are you doing!?" Blu cried out to the Brazilian while running up to him.

Tulio looked down at the panicking bird and smiled warmly.

"Don't worry Blu. Her wing is fine, see?" He comforted while putting Jewel back down next to Blu.

The two bird examined Jewel's wing as she flexed it.

"You see Jewel, we stopped giving you pain killer a while ago. Your recovery was expedited by some, by some miracle." Tulio explained while rolling Jewel's old bandages into a ball and clutching it in his fist.

"Your wing will be as good as new in 24 hours. You can go back into the jungle tomorrow." He added while picking up the his paperwork.

Jewel stood still, taking in what was just imparted to her. Soon an immense feeling of ecstasy flowed through her body.

"YES! Woohoooo!" The female macaw happily yelled as she grabbed onto Blu with her wings and spun both of them around.

"I'll leave you two alone for now." Tulio said as he returned to his upright position and turned to exit the room

After a few seconds of spinning, the two macaws started decelerating and slowly came to a stop.

Jewel giggled in delight and then held Blu a wing's length away from her while still holding onto him.

"Do you believe this Blu!? We're finally going to be free! HAHA!"

Blu, not wanting to ruin Jewel's moment, played along.

"Oh, oh yeah. It's going to be really…fun." Blu replied with a weak smile and mustering as much enthusiasm as he could, but Jewel wasn't fooled. She knew something was bothering Blu. Jewel returned to her normal disposition when she thought that maybe they should have a talk. She was about to say something but never had the chance as Blu started talking.

"Hey, I know how to celebrate. We should watch a movie. You know, to make the time go by faster." Blu suggested.

"_Or get my mind off the jungle…"_

Jewel arched the feathers around her right eyes and looked at Blu with a confused expression.

"A what?" She queried.

"You never heard of a movie? Well, it's like…like a story with pictures and sound." Blu tried to explain concisely. But his explanation was a little too vague and further confused Jewel.

She held her expression and just stared at the male macaw.

"Here, I'll just show you." Blu offered.

* * *

After a bit of searching for an entertainment center, the two lovebird eventually stumbled across a small room with a large flat screen TV. Blu helped Jewel up onto a couch situated in front of the television and proceeded to an adjacent coffee table. On the table were three dvds: Titanic, Alien, and the LEGO Movie. Blu studied the three movies and turned them around to read the backs.

"Hmmmm" He hummed while thinking about which movie would be least scary/saddening. Blu watched plenty of dramas with Linda, all of which ended up with him ruining his feathers with salty tears. Unfortunately the tears weren't his. As far as the horror genre is concerned, well, Blu tried that once with Jaws but it didn't work out. Suffice to say, he didn't step talon in the birdbath for months. Blu's eyes lit up when he saw the LEGO Movie.

"_A family movie, perfect. No fear, no crying, just happiness. Just what I n-"_

"Blu?" Jewel voice interrupted Blu's thoughts.

The male macaw turned around to see Jewel on the coffee table with him.

"Are these the Movie things?" She inquired, pointing a wingtip to the unnaturally shaped foreign object.

Blu glanced at the rectangular boxes and then looked back at Jewel.

"Yeah. I was thinking we should watch a nice family movie." Blu explained before moving out of the way to let Jewel examine the dvd cases.

Her eyes bounced back and forth as she looked at the covers.

"Those two are creepy." Jewel said flatly while pointing a wingtip at the LEGO Movie, and then at Alien.

Blu stood in disbelief.

"What? I-I understand Alien, but those little plastic guys wouldn't hurt anyone. They're not creepy." He said defending the little LEGO men on the cover.

Jewel narrowed her eyes at Blu.

"Sorry Blu, but they ARE creepy. Besides, the one with the beautiful ocean on it looks pretty."

Not wanting to upset his precious angel again, Blu reluctantly agreed.

"Ok, I guess the Titanic it is."

"_Maybe it won't be that bad. After all, it's just a movie."_

A few minutes passed, and Blu had inserted the dvd into the player. He was making some popcorn in a nearby microwave while the trailers played. Jewel sat on the couch waiting for Blu to finish cooking whatever this popcorn stuff was, and stared at her talons. She stretched them and exhaled deeply. Becoming bored by the uninteresting coming attractions (which were very outdated), Jewel stood up and looked over at her Blu on a nearby counter. After seeing what Blu was doing, Jewel couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"Blu what are you doing?" She giggled while covering her beak with her right wing.

Blu had fashioned a miniature pair of pants and a shirt, in addition to a small shield, out of some aluminum foil. He glanced over at Jewel as he cowered behind his shield.

"Well, microwaves emit radioactive energy which can cause anomalies in cellular reproduction. And I can't risk getting cancer!"

Jewel slid back down into a more comfortable position on the couch as she shook her head and smirked.

"_That's my Blu"_

* * *

Finally, all of the promos had finished playing and the popcorn was finished popping. To Jewel's surprise, it actually tasted pretty good. Maybe there was something to this human food.

"Ok Jewel, we're all set" Blu happily said as he flew next to Jewel with the dvd remote in his talons.

Placing the controller down to his left, he scooted over to Jewel on his right before hitting the play button. The film had finally started. If only the two lovebird knew that this would be a _very_ memorable night, for more reasons than one.

After a bit of watching, the scene where Jack, the male protagonist, was playing cards started. The two macaws were starting to get into the movie. Despite having no real connection or knowledge of human ways, Jewel was actually begining to enjoy the story. But before she could get further engrossed into the movie, she heard a faint coughing sound. At first she just disregarded it, but it grew louder to the point where it was no longer ignorable. Jewel turned her head to her left to see Blu pounding his chest with his right talon curled like a fist.

"Blu? Are you ok?" Jewel asked concerned for her lovehawk, but also slightly irritated that he ruined her immersion in the movie.

Blu nodded side to side while coughing, and then started making choking noises.

"Blu! You're-you're choking!" Jewel yelled in fear and realization as she shoved the bag of popcorn off the couch and grabbed Blu from behind with both her wings. Since her wings were almost fully healed, she could do whatever she normally could with them with the exception of using them for flight. She started performing the Heimlich on Blu as she continually made quick, upward and inward thrusts with her wings. Suddenly a popcorn crenel shot out of Blu's beak and ricocheted off of a nearby lampshade until finding its final resting place a few feet diagonally from the couch. After releasing her grip, Jewel looked at Blu with a saucy expression.

"Blu, watch what you put in your beak from now on. Ok?"

* * *

The two birds continued watching the movie, obviously no longer eating popcorn, until they reached the scene where Jack was teaching Rose how to fly on the bow of the Titanic. Blu turned his head to the right to see a watery eyed Jewel.

"You know, that reminds me of when we fell of the cliff together and ended up on a hang glider. I'll never forget that feeling when I was standing next to you. That...feeling of happiness." Blu said genuinely, while smiling slightly out the side of his beak.

"Yeah, that was a beautiful moment huh? Well, until you fell off and dragged me down with you." Jewel nudged Blu while softly chuckling and sniffling.

Blu happily smiled in response.

* * *

Time had passed once again, and Blu and Jewel were still watching the three-and-a-half-hour-long-tear-fest. They had reached one of the few low moments of the film. Blu was contently sitting, watching the screen flicker its 24 frames until he noticed a vibrating light blue blur in his peripheral vision. He quickly turned his head to the right to see Jewel shivering while desperately trying to keep herself warm by wrapping her wings around herself.

"Is everything ok Jewel?" Blu inquired while slightly cocking his head.

Jewel slowly turned her attention to Blu and looked at him with her turquoise eyes.

"I-I'm ju-ust a l-little c-cold." She explained, practically freezing the death.

Blu examined the room. He could hear the faint sound of air flowing from a vent, which definitley wasn't present when they came into the room, but did not see the vent nor a thermostat. Knowing that Jewel did not possess the same resistance to cold temperatures as he did, Blu was forced into making a quick decision.

"Ok Jewel. I know how to fix this." Blu said as he scooted closer to Jewel so that their bodies were touching.

Before Jewel could ask what he was doing, Blu wrapped his large blue wings around her and enveloped her in his warmth.

Jewel cooed in satisfaction as she nuzzled her head into Blu's feathers, feeling his warmth transfer to her.

Blu looked down at her.

"Y-you don't mind, right?" He nervously asked.

"I'm with you, and I'm warm. Why would I mind?" Jewel replied calmly, with a hint of aggravation in her voice. She was starting to get tired of Blu always being nervous.

Blu opened his beak to answer, but found no words. Instead he dropped the topic and continued watching the movie with his beloved.

* * *

Finally the movie was nearing its conclusion.

Rose: I love you, Jack.

Jack: Don't you do that, don't say your good-byes. Not yet, do you understand me?

Rose: I'm so cold.

Blu rolled his eyes.

"_Of course you're cold. The temperature is like -5 Celsius."_ Blu thought to himself, thinking the dialouge was corny. He glanced over to Jewel. A tear ran down her face as she was mesmerized by the movie.

"_Man this is sad. It reminds me too much of what Jewel and I went through. I hope I don't crack…I can't let Jewel see me like that."_

Rose: I promise.

Jack: Never let go.

Rose: I'll never let go, Jack. I'll never let go.

Jewel slowly turned her head to Blu. Tears littered her feathers.

"That's…like what…you said to me…Blu…when we were falling." She choked out.

A tear started to form in the male macaw's eye.

"Yeah, I'm never gonna let you go." Blu whispered.

Suddenly, Blu felt weird. Then, he had a strange flashback.

**Flashback**

_Blu was sitting in his nest. He was a young chick. All of his plumage was fully grown, but just barely. The world was still a blurry mess to the macaw. It was a combination of him just waking up from a nap, and his eyes still developing. Then two fuzzy blue figures came into his vision. One of them extended their wings out to Blu and picked him up. His voice was deep, so it probably was a male._

"_Hello there little fella. You probably don't know much about this world. I'm sure you don't even know who you are, or I am really. But you know, none of that matters. And you know why?"_

_There was a moment of silence as the blurry figure just held Blu in his wings. Blu could just make out a smile, as his vision started to clear. Then the second blue blur, which was slightly lighter in color, walked next to the male. The two looked at each other and then back at Blu. The dark macaw leaned closer to Blu and whispered something to him which made the other figure giggle._

"_Because this is your home, Blu. You're never alone. And we love you. If there is one thing you need to know to be happy in life, it's that."_

"_Feel the rhythm in your heat. And never be afraid to tell the ones you love how you feel." A female voice emanating from the light blue blur chuckled._

"_That's what I did. And if you do too, one day I'm sure you will find a bird just as beautiful as the one I found. Your one and only." The male concluded while turning towards the female._

**Reality**

JACK!

A saddened screaming broke Blu from his thoughts. He shook his head to clear his mind. In the movie, Rose was desperately shaking Jack's hand. She was trying to tell him there was a lifeboat, but to her dismay no sign on consciousness came from her love.

"_Oh, no"_ Jewel whispered to herself, clinging on tighter to Blu.

* * *

Fernando just happened to be walking by the entertainment center at this time. As he passed the door, a sudden cacophony of whining and whimpering hit his eardrums.

"I told him not to watch that movie. Silly Sylvio." The young boy chuckled to himself as he slowly shook his head.

* * *

Finally, the ending credits began to play. This emotional rollercoaster of a movie was, after 3 ½ hours, over.

On the couch sat the two Blu macaws. At this point, they both had tired themselves out from crying and now were sleepily snuggled with each other. Since the two lovebirds had such a big day ahead of them, it was probably for the best that they rested.

Blu looked in his wings and saw Jewel happily smiling in her sleep. Blu was just about ready to let the sandman do his job when a frighteningly familiar voice shot through his head, soon followed by another one.

"_Never be afraid to tell the ones you love how you feel"_

"_Your one and only"_

The stress of withholding his emotions was starting to become too stressful. Despite the sudden rush of thoughts, Blu's eyelids slowly started closing. The weight was immense. His body pleaded for sleep, but his mind tried to resist. It was a losing battle as melatonin, ironically controlled by the brain, forced Blu into submission.

"_Goodnight Blu. We love you."_

* * *

**Thank you guys soo much for voting. The Titanic came in first with 3 votes, and Alien and LEGO were tied for second with 2 votes each. Now that I am done with school for the year, I have decided to do something special! The plan is, for the next week, to post a new chapter every day! As usual let me know what you think in the review section and I'll see you all tomorrow (hopefully) with the grand conclusion to my first story! I would love to hit the 100 review mark, but whatever happens…happens. So for now, this is Egil the White Macaw / EgilMaster signing off!**

**Update: I fixed the issue where you couldn't post a review on this chapter. Sorry about that. Its all good now. Just chapter 17 is the 18th chapter posted (because of Jewel's poll), just so you know.**


	19. Conclusion: Never Alone

Finally, after all this time Jewel's wing had fully recovered and she was ready to return to the jungle…the real one. During the time she was confined at the aviary, she grew even closer to her clumsy Blu. The two had proven that despite their obvious differences, a healthy relationship could not only be sustained, but be allowed to flourish. Blu had changed too. He had warmed up considerably to the idea of living in the outside world. This was mostly due to what he experienced over the past few weeks. He had been reunited with his friends, made new ones, learned more about the one he cares for, and even helped his former owner find love. Most importantly, he was with Jewel. Even though they were "together", Blu couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable around her. Maybe it was the fact that she had nearly chocked the life out of him recently, or maybe it was that he still couldn't believe that a bird like her may actually want to be with him. Whatever the reason, Blu was a very socially awkward bird who had a hard enough time holding a normal conversation with a normal bird, never mind working things out with his possible future mate.

Those words scared Blu a little. Could it actually be possible for their relationship to continue that long? He and Jewel were so vastly different in so many ways, how could it be that they would be together for more than a few days after being released. Blu's fear was that once they were freed into the wild, what if he held Jewel back? What if they ran into a predator and something happened to Jewel because of his clumsiness?

"_Maybe I should just go back to Minnesota."_ Blu thought in dismay, conjuring up even implausible options to ease his mind. But it did nothing to pacify him. These ideas tormented Blu. They thrashed viciously around in his head like a large bass brought onto the deck of a ship. The climate controlled room he was in became scorching hot. Sweat almost started beading down his head. His beak stung as if someone had just ran over it with a car. Blu couldn't take it anymore.

"J-Jewel?" Blu whispered as he nudged the most beautiful bird in the world.

Jewel stirred a little in her sleep, but still remained asleep.

"Jewel?" He repeated when he realized she wasn't conscious yet.

"Hmmm." Jewel hummed as she turned her head up to her lovehawk.

Blu felt his heart skip a beat as he looked into her beautiful, mesmerizing, turquoise eyes.

"What is it Blu? You look scared." Jewel asked concerned, seeing that Blu looked flushed.

"Oh, um it-it's nothing." Blu quickly lied from suddenly losing his courage.

Jewel wasn't going to let Blu go this time though. He needed a push, and that's exactly what she was going to do.

"Well you know Blu, I don't know if I said this before, but I really appreciate what you did for me back on the plane." She said adjusting herself into an upright position. Blu followed and stood in front of her. Jewel then took both of Blu's wings in hers and gazed intently into his eyes.

"That was the nicest, more courageous thing anyone had done for me." She finished, not losing eye contact with her lovehawk.

Blu swallowed hard and then closed his eyes for a moment.

"Y-you know Jewel…You never told me what you were going to say when we were outside Luiz's garage that day." Blu started.

Jewel smiled.

"I guess I thought maybe…" As Jewel said those four words Blu suddenly flashed back to the events outside Luiz's garage when he and Jewel had finally removed the chain. He saw Jewel looking into his eyes. The world was cold, but seeing her made Blu's heart burn with warmth. The flashback and current situation then merged as he heard Jewel finish her sentence.

"…you could come back to the jungle with me." Jewel concluded.

Blu's beak dropped.

"W-what? You wanted me to come with you? Didn't you think I was clumsily and awkward?"

Jewel chuckled.

"Oh Blu, of course I did. And that's exactly why I wanted to be with you. The whole time we have been together here, all the clumsly and awkward things you did made me like you more."

After Jewel finished, the two birds stared at each other. Warm smiles crept over the two birds' beaks.

"Ok, Blu. It's your turn. What were you going to say to me on the trolley before you choked?" Jewel inquired, starting to giggle as she remembered Blu gagging on a petal.

Blu's eyes widened, his pace quickened. This was his chance. This was it. Blu took a deep breath before returning his gaze into Jewel's eyes.

"I…I wanted to tell you how I felt about you. I wanted to tell you how beautiful you are. How I love how your feathers shine, and your eyes sparkle. I wanted to tell you how the sound of your voice melts my heart, and that just standing near you…it makes me feel complete."

Jewel started tearing up as she listened to Blu release his true feelings.

"But I lost that chance. And later when I was watching you fly in sky after we got rid of our chains, I…I realized that I tricked myself. I made myself think you liked me. How could you? You were finally free, and I would just slow you down." He admitted sorrowfully. A lump formed in his throat after he finished confessing some of his innermost feelings. He swallowed and forced the lump down, which caused a great deal of discomfort.

"Awww, Blu. After everything we went through, you still didn't know I wanted to be with you? You know that now, right?" She queried, a tear flowing down her cheek.

Blu blinked, which caused a small droplet to excrete from his eye, and prepared himself to say something he never expected to tell anyone.

"I want to make sure that confusion never happens again Jewel."

The onus was now on Blu. The future of their relationship rested squarely in his wings. Blu knew what he had to do. Jewel set up the conditions for it, but now Blu had to act. He sighed.

"So, no. I-I don't think that you want to be with me." Blu said with little infliction in his voice while looking down at his talons.

"B-But Blu…" Jewel managed to let out, winded by his words. She retracted her wing from his and looked at as if about to start bawling. Was Blu actually turning her down? Was he too afraid to be in the wild, or did he just find out that he really didn't care for her after all?

"Jewel, the truth is I don't think we belong together."

Emotional pain, indistinguishable from physical pain, shot through Jewel's chest. It was as if Blu had stabbed her with his words.

"B-But Bl-"

"Because I _know_ we belong together." Blu shot out, quickly looking up into Jewel's eyes, unaware of her grief.

"B-because I-I"

_"never be afraid to tell the ones you love how you feel"_

Was this it? Would Blu finally fully confess his feeling for her? Jewel anxiously awaited his concluding statement.

"I **Love** you Jewel." Blu confessed, now completely losing control of his tears. Beads of water streamed down both macaws faces.

This had all happened so fast. But Jewel ignored her thoughts and listened to her heart.

"I **Love** you too Blu!" She ecstatically exclaimed.

Suddenly Blu felt warmth surrounding him as he was enveloped in Jewel's wings. Before Blu had a chance to collect what was going on, he felt Jewel push her beak into his. They had a passionate kiss for an undetermined amount of time. There really was no time now. The world stood still as the two lovebirds remained there, together, never to leave each other again. Why? Because they **Loved** one another. But this was not just any **Love**, it was the most powerful variation: **True Love**. And no amount of animosity or stress will ever break this binding force. While there are no longer being held together by any physical means, there is a much stronger force perpetually bonding them. Even though the chains that once held them by force by their talons were no longer physically present, they still exsited none the less. They intertwined the two macaws hearts together. These so vastly different avifauna were, are, and forever will be chained-to-each-other birds…together…

…

…

…In **Love**

* * *

So then, comes the inevitable question: What is Love? If you were ask any given intelligent being, they would most likely respond with the stereotypical "wanting to give everything for another" or "the desire to have something or be with someone". But is that it? Can such a profound and powerful vehemence be summed up with such a complacent tone? The ancient Greeks had four tiers of love, and thus a clearer picture of what it is. They were στοργή (Fuzzy Affection), φιλία (Brotherly Love), ἔρως (Erotic Romance), and ἀγάπη (Unconditional Love). But even with this more diverse definition, the Greeks were no closer to understating what love truly is. The reason? Love has no definition. Love is by nature indescribable, it is unique for each who fully experiences this special emotion. Therefore, there is no reason for Love when it comes to the inexplicable bond between two. So if one were in love, they would be unable to find any reasons for being so. Love is more than the physical, and even more than the emotional. It is a unique and intangible experience. While there is no _real_ definition for love (even though google may say otherwise) the best way to think of it is this: Love is not knowing why you are affectionate towards another or what motivates you to do so, but just enjoying the simplicity of being with the one you care for is enough to make life worthwhile.

That mi amigos, is my story. I hope you find hapiness as well, in whatever form it may come.

…

…

…

…

…

…

THE END

* * *

**There we go! Now What? Is finally finished! Yay! Well, unless you count the epilogue that is. That should be out by tomorrow. Some of you have asked me about a sequel. To answer that, yes there will be a sequel. I'm not sure if I want to start that first or make something else (still in Rio of course). Let me know what you thought of the conclusion in the reviews! I would like to thank ALL of you who have supported me on this journey, and I hope to hear from you amazing guys/gals in my upcoming stories. A special shout out to a few people:**

**Fanfiction Guy**** – Thanks man for being there since the beginning! I really appreciate your ideas, reviews, and continuous support and will still use what you wrote in the future too. I hope you check out my next story! Oh, and you were spot on with that phrase! ;)**

**Assassin's Creed Master**** – Hey, how's my fellow author doing? Thanks for all the reviews! Hope everything is well with your animation and current story. And thanks again for the cover art. :)**

**Rico the Black Hawk**** – Without you, I never would have been introduced to this place. So thank you so much for that Rico! When you write another story, I'll be there to support you along the way! You are an icon in the Rio community, so I hope you don't stop. I wish you well!**

**YootisPoshil**** – Thanks for your kind words Poshil! I look forward to your critique in the future, and wish you the best of luck in Alex's Rio awards!**

**And a VERY special thanks to everyone else who has been there for me on my first story, including bluecatcinema, Andres3es, RIO2lover100, Mikeshadows, Sky the Red-Bellied Macaw, Crexis The Purple Macaw, RobertElizabethPamClaire, DehAlligator, Xerion, Raymond Manzarek, FoxDemon1023, Dutchbluemacaw, Qoheleth, WM0135, mw3fan, BluMan, Cybroid, RioBluFan, and all of the great guest reviewers!**

**Well, that was a long Authors Note. To add an additional bit of excitement to the mix, I am now only 5 reviews away from my 100 goal! I may actually do it! XD**

**Anyway, you readers have been great! One last thanks for you all!**

**Until next time,**

**Egilmaster Out!**


	20. Epilogue - I'm telling the world

You thought that just because the words "THE END" appear at the conclusion of a story means that it's actually over? Well, you sure were mistaken. A good story should be continued, but a great story must be. Whether this is a good or great story is up to the reader. In any case, time sure flies. Not even a month ago a special domesticated blue macaw was sipping on some hot cocoa, and now he was preparing to take flight into the wild. Yes, life couldn't be any more exciting for Blu…or nerve racking for that matter. Linda, her fiancé Tulio, their soon-to-be adopted son Fernando, and the two lovebirds Blu and Jewel made their way up to the deck of a new tower. This tower was erected in honor of Blu and the blue spix macaws, as well as because it was necessary for the well being of many endangered birds. It stood in the center of the Blu Bird Sanctuary, and was a large landmark for all of the local arial inhabitants. As the hybrid group of birds and humans reached the summit, each could feel their hearts skip a beat. However, none was more scared than Blu. As a gentle breeze caressed his face, this macaw felt anything but tranquil. He walked off of Linda's shoulder and onto the wooden railing of the tower. Everyone soon turned their attention to Tulio, who was currently holding Jewel in his cupped hands. Looking up at the sky and preparing to feel the warm embrace of freedom once more, the female blue spix macaw leaped out of the ornithologist's hands and, for the first time in weeks, gracefully soared into the clear Brazilian sky. Tulio always felt slightly saddened when releasing recovered patients, but this time he felt this even more so. Because of these birds he not only found the love of his life, but also a new perspective; one that focused on happiness and a more fulfilling existence. While the bird doctor was reflecting on the events of the previous few weeks, the two Minnesotans were preparing to say their goodbyes. It was not goodbye forever, for of course the two will see each other again. But it was a farewell to their old life. Linda was right when she told Blu that they would be back home before they knew it. Rio was home. The two best friends looked into each other's eyes. And one more time they shared a moment together as friend and companion. Then, as a final token of friendship the two performed their special hand-talon shake. After their shake had finished, Blu walked over to his owner and allowed her to pet him. Blu savored the warmth of her hand running down his spine. In one way he didn't want to leave his old life. It was fun, safe, and calm. It was perfect for his docile disposition. But Blu knew that this new life, despite its uncertainty and danger, was what he needed. Blu turned to face the jungle. He jumped off of the wooden railing and flew into the blue sky.

The humans then pulled each other close, now happy that at the very least they were all part of a new family and a new life. Linda smiled.

"That's my big brave boy"

After a few seconds, Blu finally caught up to Jewel. The two flew side by side over the jungle. Not a word was spoken between the two birds until Blu broke the silence.

"You were right Jewel." He happily stated.

Jewel turned her head to her left and looked at Blu with a slightly confused expression.

"Right about what?" She chuckled.

"About everything. Flying is freedom. I see that now." Blu replied before turning to his right to look at his loved one.

Jewel just shook her head in response.

"I wasn't right about everything Blu. Freedom isn't anything if you're alone."

Blu was about to reply but was interrupted by a sudden outburst of drums and other instruments. The two blue macaws looked down into the jungle to see that the local samba birds were starting, what seemed like, some sort of song.

The chorus sang:

_All the birds of a feather_

_Do what they love most of all_

_We are the best at rhythm and laughter_

_That's why we love carnival_

A steady rhythmic beating began playing. A large smile grew on Jewel's beak before she dove down to get a closer look. Blu stopped and hovered in midair as he watched Jewel disappear beneath the treetop canopy.

_Possibly we can sing too_

_Sun and beaches, they coo_

_Dance to the music, passion and love_

_Show us the best you can do_

"J-Jewel?" Blu called out as the music stopped.

"Blu!" A familiar female voice called out.

Fearing that something had gone awry, Blu darted down in pursuit to where Jewel disappeared. Blu burst through the canopy as leaves shot out in various directions. The jungle appeared quiet and desolate.

"H-Hello?"

_Everyone here is on fire_

As they chorus sand that line dozens of birds appeared out of nowhere, dancing and singing in the air.

_Get up and join in the fun_

_Dance with a stranger, romance and danger_

_Magic could happen for real in Rio_

_All by itself, you can't see it coming_

_You can't find it anywhere else_

Numerous birds flew around Blu, spinning him in circles in the process. They flew faster and faster as the wind they generated just caused the blue macaw to twirl more violently.

_It's real in Rio, know something else_

_You can feel it happen, you can feel it all by yourself_

Then the birds dispersed, leaving a dizzy Blu in center stage. He moaned while the world slowly ceased rotating. The song however, was not finished yet. The steady drum beat continued.

_All the birds of a feather_

_Do what they love most of all_

_Moon and the stars, sun and guitars_

_That's why we love carnival_

A stream of singing toucans and military macaws swooped down towards Blu, nearly colliding with him but for a centimeter or two of clearance. Blu clenched and curled up into a blue ball. He started falling, but after a few seconds he realized that his body was never met with the cold hard ground. Blu moved his left wing away from his eye and peaked it open. To his surprise, he was resting in Jewel's wings. Jewel smiled warmly and slowly shook her head.

"Come on Blu. Let's join in on the fun." Jewel said sweetly before putting down Blu and taking off to make a part for herself in the song. Blu watched as Jewel darted upwards and then performed a cartwheel.

_Loving our life in the jungle_

_Everything's wild and free_

Feeling the rhythm in his heart, and a sudden uncontrollable burning in his chest, Blu jumped up into the sky and retuned to center stage.

_Never alone 'cause this is our home_

_Magic can happen for real in Rio_

_All by itself, you can't see it coming_

_You can't find it anywhere else_

As Blu and Jewel finsished sinigng their lines, a ceritan red crested cardinal popped in front of them and started doing his own thing.

_I'm a kako wero kinga, kinga, kinga, kinga_

_Birds like me 'cause I'm a hot winga_

_There's your hot winga_

Pedro flew past a tree branch on which a yellow canary was perched. He held a bottle cap to his chest and started singing his portion of the song.

_Here everybody loves samba (I like the samba)_

Rafael pokes his head out of his tree hollow (along with his family) and sings his line.

_Rhythm you feel in your heart (I'm the samba master)_

_Beauty and love, what more could you want?_

_Everything can be for real in Rio_

All the birds in the jungle then flew above the tree canopy. From afar, one could see the mass exodus with its beautiful array of colors contrasting with the sky. All of the beautiful creatures sang the ending to their song.

_Here's something else (something else)_

_You just feel it happening_

_You won't find it anywhere else_

* * *

On a distant tree branch the last male Cuban Red Macaw was watching the spectacle. He exhaled deeply and then looked down, gazing past the branch on which he was standing and at the jungle floor.

"Well Blu, you did it. You did what I couldn't."

He rapidly blinked a few times to clear his watery eyes.

"Don't worry buddy, I'll make sure you're safe." Paris sighed. He then looked upward and took off into the sky. What he didn't know was that he was being watched.

"Oy, but what would ruin the fun mate." A large bird with pink feathers evilly chuckled.

"And everyone loves a little fun." He crackled before laughing maniacally.

* * *

Hours had passed, and now the sun had finally set over the beautiful city of Rio. The two lovebirds Blu and Jewel had secured a tree hollow of their very own, and were currently standing on a branch that stuck out near their entrance. They watched the stars glisten in the night sky, and the moon cast its entrancing rays over the jungle. They both sighed simultaneously.

"Isn't this beautiful Blu?" Jewel inquired while resting her head on her lovehawk's chest.

"Yeah, I guess." Blu replied sounding unimpressed by the view.

"What does that mean?" Jewel queried.

"It means that I can think of something else that's way more beautiful." He answered, turning towards Jewel.

Jewel smirked and looked up at Blu.

"Yeah, and what's that?" She asked.

"You of course. It's nothing compared to you Jewel." Blu answered, gazing into his love's eyes.

"As corny as that sounds I accept your compliment." Jewel giggled. The two then returned to star gazing.

A few moment of silence passed before Blu interrupted.

"So Jewel. What are we going to do with our lives now?"

Jewel smirked, her eyes still affixed on the night sky.

"Whatever we want. Was there anything you wanted to do Blu?"

Blu thought for a moment.

"Yeah. I-I want to tell the world…that I found happiness. I found you. My reason to fly." Blu poetically replied.

A tear formed in Jewel's eye.

"I love you Jewel."

"I love you too Blu."

* * *

**Aaaaaaaaaand that's it. Thanks for reading "Now What?" everyone! I've got some fun ideas I want to write in the future, so keep an eye out on my profile. Today is the last day for Alex the Owl's Rio awards. So if you haven't yet voted, go on out and well, vote! I don't care if it's for me or not, I just think it's a fun idea and want to support it. Oh, and if you have an OC you would like to see in my upcoming stories don't hesitate to let me know either in a PM or review. Anywho, that's all. Leave a review if you want, and I'll see you in my next story! I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!**

**\- Egilmaster365 / Egil the White Macaw**


	21. Sequel Update

Hey everyone! Just to let you know the sequel to this story is now live! Check out Rhythm of the Jungle under my profile or on the Best Rio Authors Community. I would like to that you all for reading this story, and hope you come and read my new work. Oh, and thanks for everyone who made it possible for me to blow away my 100 review goal and reach (as of this writing) a whopping 110!

Happy reading,

Egil

**Update: It may take a little time for it to show up on the Best Rio Authors Community page / my profile. Just thought of that.**


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